Released: June
Hardcore Superstar's Dreamin' in a Casket marked the final stop on the band's journey from punkish glam rock upstarts to genuine heavy metal hellraisers. It was a raucous volume of hard-hitting rock n roll that didn't let up from go to woah, brazen, aggressive, reckless and heavy. In short, it rocked like a motherfucker. So it was always going to be interesting to see how they would follow up such a rollicking piece of work.
In the end, it appears that Hardcore Superstar has gone for safety, because Beg For It is a rather more melodic and formulaic album than its predecessor. There's somewhat more predictability in its mixture of harder upbeat tracks, of which Casket had plenty, and slower melodic ones, of which the last album had none. Rock n roll swagger continues to abound and there's some truly fantastic guitar playing from new guitarist Vic Zino, who almost melts the fretboard a couple of time. But there is also less of the immediacy and urgency of delivery that made their last effort such a corker. It's noticeably less heavy too, marking a shift back toward the more rock direction they were taking on No Regrets. The title track has already become a charting hit for them in Sweden so it could be they are about to hit pay-dirt, but it's ironic that this is the heaviest track on the album.
In the end, it appears that Hardcore Superstar has gone for safety, because Beg For It is a rather more melodic and formulaic album than its predecessor. There's somewhat more predictability in its mixture of harder upbeat tracks, of which Casket had plenty, and slower melodic ones, of which the last album had none. Rock n roll swagger continues to abound and there's some truly fantastic guitar playing from new guitarist Vic Zino, who almost melts the fretboard a couple of time. But there is also less of the immediacy and urgency of delivery that made their last effort such a corker. It's noticeably less heavy too, marking a shift back toward the more rock direction they were taking on No Regrets. The title track has already become a charting hit for them in Sweden so it could be they are about to hit pay-dirt, but it's ironic that this is the heaviest track on the album.
Beg for It is still a pretty solid piece of work, but less of a force than the last couple. The spaghetti-western inspired intro track is a waste and there is fewer real highlights, although none of the songs are in any way bad either. In the wake of the heavy metal thunder that was Dreamin' in a Casket, Beg for It is rather less satisfying, but a pretty worthewhile listen all the same.
- This Worm's for Ennio
- Beg for It
- Into Debauchery
- Shades of Grey
- Nervous Breakdown
- Hope for a Normal Life
- Dont Care 'bout Your Bad Behaviour
- Remove My Brain
- Spit it Out
- Illegal Fun
- Take 'em All Out
- Innocent Boy
Rating: 72%
