Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of how far from rocket science rock’n’roll can (and to some, always should) be and Swedish quintet The Flare-Up! do just that with this no-nonsense R’n’R followup to 2002s debut ‘Saints In Sinner City’.

The seven years between ‘Whip ‘Em Hard, Whip ‘Em Good’ and the debut saw the five band members spread across the globe to work on other projects, among them Last Days Of April, Beat Bandit and The Stray Parade. Now they’re back in Stockholm and wholly dedicated to this their main project, which I doubt no one will hold against them.

Opening track ‘Put It In A Letter’ does what any good opening track should do: Let you know what this is all about with a ripping riff and roaring beat, while ballad ‘Whip ‘Em Hard, Whip ‘Em Good’ is a new anthem for all rock’n’roll misfits who’d rather play music than live as expected.

‘Kid Avenger’ is one proof of these guys’ ability to combine aggression with catchy hooks, another is ‘To Kill A Puerto Rican’ about Redhead Billy out to prove his manhood with a gun after losing Debbie the showgirl to a hunky Latin lover.

The Flare-Up! are in short a kick-ass, right-hand-on-balls rock outfit living on raw energy, excellent riffs, trashy solos and (quite a few) good songs saluting the bluesy garage rock of the 1960s and the 1970s hard rock with equal measures of aggression and laid back cool.

Genre: Rock
Who: The Flare-Up!
Album: Whip ‘Em Hard, Whip ‘Em Good
Label: Criminal Records/Sound Poll
Year: 2009
Country: Sweden
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Put It In A Letter – Whip ‘Em Hard, Whip ‘Em Good – Kid Avenger – To Kill A Puerto Rican