now

Hoping to capitalize on the new era digital media distribution is Sweden rockers Confidence. Casting aside labels and CD releases, Confidence plans to release all their material in a digital format (although I got a CD, thank you very much), basically four to five tunes, twice a year. Hail the new technology. Prelude is their debut, their first toe in the digital stream so to speak.

now…

Gentlemen of Distorted Sound claim to play groove-laden hard rock, and for once a band’s self-description provides a fairly accurate summary of the bands output. The five songs on this EP all have a reasonable groove and could be described as rock of the hard variety. They’ve got an amusing mascot in the form of a skull with a native American head dress who is also sports a monocle and cigarette holder; and provided you don’t try and take the band too seriously, this is a pleasant and varied listening experience.

The band can all play, which is always an encouraging start. There’s a solid rhythm section which locks down an effortless groove and keeps things chugging along nicely, a smattering of guitar heroics, and Gareth Nugent’s vocals offer a decent blues howl with plenty of power in the upper registers. They’re tight but not mechanical and the whole thing has a Black Sabbath-style swing to it which keeps the classic rock vibe going throughout.