Hardcore Superstar
Dreamin In A Casket

Here they are again, Hardcore Superstar, upbeat and carefree as usual. Also mature this time: a little over 10 years since the band's founding, Jocke Berg and company return to the scene with an album, their fifth, more metal-oriented and significantly grown in the quality of the compositions and sound.

Originally, the Swedish guys broke through with "Bad Sneakers and a Pina Colada," an album that was fresh, lively, and rowdy. The subsequent "Thank You..." presented more soft, classical traits. It was only with the third work, "No Regrets," that the band seemed to have taken a cheerfully more commercial path, but the self-titled album "Hardcore Superstar" (2006) marked a definitive return to healthy and fun rock, with the first vague metallic influences. Now, with "Dreamin in a Casket," the band engages in songs always full of riffs and melodies, but infused with much stronger and more refined sounds than usual.

The album opens with the gripping "Need No Company." After the good "Medicate Me," truly overwhelming, we reach the splendid title track. The beginning is impactful, but as the song progresses, it reveals itself to be very emotional, capable of transporting and captivating you. On the same track is Silence "For The Peacefully," but it must be said that this characteristic is a peculiarity of many songs on the album. It certainly is not for "Sophisticated Ladies," the most catchy and radio-friendly track. "Wake Up Dead In A Garbagecan" opens with rocky riffs, and as the song progresses, it becomes increasingly entrancing. "Spreadin' The News" has a very serious pace and in the chorus almost melancholy, yet very nice. Following is "This Is For The Mentally Damaged," opened by rolling drum beats: it also flows seriously and quite slowly until the chorus, where it livens up. "Sensitive To The Light" is splendid. It opens with solemn drum beats, aggressive riffs, and an awe-inspiring solo that precedes the beautiful sung part, between Jocke's serious and melancholy tone: at the chorus, this becomes more aggressive, then the awesome solo resumes. In "Lesson In Vio-Lence," Jocke sings in a strange, darker way, and "opens up" in the emotional crescendo that is the chorus. The concluding "Sorry For The Shape I'm In" and "No Resistance" are also beautiful, especially the former.

In short, the album is a guarantee: in my opinion, it's melodic metal, ideal when you crave powerful riffs but nothing too enraged. Hardcore Superstar is a great band that has varied their style a lot over the course of their career, and that is capable of having fun and making others have fun as well, without neglecting the serious side of things. And "Dreamin In A Casket" is another demonstration of their skill.