Tag: skagarack

There is a train of thought in rock circles that no matter what type of modern popular music you name, Sweden and Swedish bands do it better. You have to admit, they are pretty good at the old rock n’ roll thing. This is Skagaracks first album, released in ’86 and it is an AOR fans wet dream. Great songs, well written and played, with a killer production.

Opening track Move It In The Night is my favourite right from the get go. Killer song with superb harmonies and a hook and chorus to die for. I’m Alone would have been huge if say, Brian Adams did it. Saying is just superb, why this band weren’t huge I do not know. Great hook and chorus, and the solo is awesome. If they were American, things may have been a whole lot different. Damned Woman ends Side 1 and after the initial guitar riff that I am sure i’ve heard before, the song feels all ethereal and a bit like a hymn.

Side 2 kicks off with Don’t Turn Me Upside Down. A huge keys intro before the main guitar riff drives the song along. The hook and chorus are huge and Journey would have been proud of this one. Great guitar at the intro to Lies with a huge Foreigner vibe to the song. Victim Of The System has the same groove and vibe as Holy Diver at the intro. It’s ballad time with City Child and the album closes out with Double Crossed, and we go out with a bang. A Rainbow style riff and a gallop groove, it’s the heaviest sounding track on the album.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

What is it with Sweden and Swedish bands doing everything better than everyone else? You can take any form of music and there will be a Swedish band at the top of the tree doing it better than anyone. Skagarack were around for 4 years from ’86 to ’90, and they were purveyors of the finest AOR soft rock. This is the first album from ’86, and the band were fronted by Torben Schmidt, who would later go on to have his own management company, Thunderstruck Productions (that would look after Freak Kitchen amongst others).

The band play rock with big hooks, big melodies, and catchy sing-along choruses -just like Night Ranger and Survivor. Move It In The Night is the opening track and is the best track on the album with a big chorus and great melody. Saying is another great tune, a bit more up-tempo and rockin’ whilst the emphasis is still on the song. Damned Woman is a slow plodder of a tune, but it does have a nice solo. Side 2 opener, Don’t Turn Me Upside Down, is a decent melodic rock tune that bands more established than them would have died to have written. Victim Of The System is the big production number on the album, but I think it falls a bit short and sounds forced. Double Crossed rocks out the record in fine style. My one major criticism of this record is that the production is a bit flat and needs a good dose of oomph to lift it.

8/10 from The Grooveman.