Gluecifer

The new album from Norway's Gluecifer is their first North American full-length release and continues in the hard, '70s-style rock direction that they've established over the last few years. Sounding a lot slicker and professional than their Man's Ruin Gary McKane EP, and the more recent Get The Horn compilation EP, Tender is the Savage features classy production work by Daniel Rey, who also worked on numerous late-career Ramones albums. Ranging from mid-tempo boogie metal throw-downs like "The General Says Yeah!" to early Danzig sound-alike tracks like "Red Noses, Shit Poses," Gluecifer would have fit right in with the late '80s Cult, Circus of Power, Four Horsemen, tough-guy rock explosion. That gives these guys an instant, easy to understand sonic recognition factor and has contributed to their relatively quick rise in popularity within the Scandinavian rock pantheon. Unfortunately, being part of such a genre has ensured the group an audience, but keeps them from exploring any genre meshing that they could make the music a lot more interesting. If you're too young to remember bands like Junkyard ,and just want to hear some basic hard rock with no postmodern twists or surprises, then Tender is the Savage could be your new car cruisin', joint smokin' record of choice.