It’s wild to think despite how prolific the Scandinavian hard rock and metal scene of the ’80s was, Europe was the only band to achieve success stateside in terms of airplay, sales, and charts. Sure, Mercyful Fate ruled the underground, but the only chart they were tearing up was Tipper Gore’s Filthy 15. Some will argue White Lion half counts because Mike Tramp hailed from Denmark, but considering they formed in New York, I’m taking them out of consideration. Once we get past these big 3 so to speak, we’re faced with a bevy of bands who, even if they had the fortune of inking a major label deal, never collectively caught the attention of us Yankees. One such band was Electric Boys.
Formed in 1987, this Swedish outfit first caught the attention of hard rockers with their adventurous debut album, Funk-o-Metal Carpet Ride (1989). Yes, you read that correctly. Although today its debated whether or not funk metal was ever a true metal subgenre or scene, back in ’89, it most certainly was, and it was flat-out unavoidable. Bands like Living Colour, Faith No More, and Red Hot Chili Peppers (before fully embracing the alt rock format) were absolutely dominating rock radio and MTV by combining mosh-friendly metal riffage with killer funk grooves. Granted, Electric Boys were less focused on all-out heaviness and more interested in adding tinges of psychedelia and power pop, making for an even more singular sound.
This unique stew of musical madness remains as flavorful and piping hot as ever on the latest Electric Boys album, Grand Explosivos. True to the album’s title, every cut on here is grandly explosive, prominently highlighting the band’s stripped down, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” ethos. The production is old school, as is the overall approach to the songs. The band plays their hearts out, but without going overboard or trying to achieve something that’s simply out of their wheelhouse. These Boys know what the fans want: Loud, uncompromising, hard rockin’ funk.
Cuts like “When Life Treats You Funky”, “And the Band Played On – Part 1”, and “Cozmic Jagger” (Bonus points for paying homage to the Mick.) swagger around like its nobody’s business, boasting the kind of rock n’ roll soul you’d hear on a Mk. III Purple album. Frontman Conny Bloom belts out his vocals with fiery passion, while the rest of the band are so locked in that you’d need a bolt cutter to steer them off course. When they aren’t funkin’ it up, Electric Boys let loose with rowdy party rockers that lie somewhere between drug era Aerosmith and Scandi punks The Hellacopters. How could you not crank up the volume on “Better Safe Than Sober”, “Domestic Blitz”, and “Learjet”?
As is the case with these hard rocking and harder partying bands, Electric Boys aren’t out to change the world. The tropes you’ll hear on Grand Explosivos have been done a zillion times before and then some. That said, if they’re done right with honesty and authenticity, who cares? There’s still an absurd amount of power running through these Boys’ veins. My best advice is to put on some high quality headphones and prepare to be shocked!
7 out of 10
Label: Mighty Music
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Aerosmith, Deep Purple, The Hellacopters