Truckfighters – V – Power Of Metal.dk

I have been overweight my entire life. I’m pretty sure I was born with love handles. I had the dad bod before it was cool. I looked pretty good when I was in high school and college, but those days are long gone. So, because of this, I have had to make exercise a part of life. I’ve never been much of a runner, so I walk or use an elliptical. Listening to music with a consistent beat helps me maintain a rhythm as I walk or run. Finding albums that do this throughout the entire record can be hard, so when I do, I will go back to them depending on what exercise I am doing. One of the albums I have enjoyed walking to lately is V, the latest album from Swedish desert/fuzz rock band Truckfighters, released September 30, 2016, on Century Media Records.

Truckfighters started out with a heavily Kyuss influenced sound on their debut full-length album, Gravity X. They have steadily progressed each album since, slowly developing their own sound, which I think has come to fruition on V. The main piece that seems to complete the puzzle is the change in vocal style of bassist/vocalist Oskar “Ozo” Cedermalm. Whether it is the almost haunting tones he produces in opening track “Calm before the Storm,” or the semi-wailing to smooth crooning he does on “Storyline,” Ozo’s new vocal repertoire adds another dimension to an already strong batch of tunes. Speaking of Ozo, his distorted bass has never sounded more brutally beautiful. It nearly knocks you out of your seat when it kicks in on tracks like “Calm before the Storm,” “Hawksaw,” and “The 1.” Truckfighters has always had a Spinal Tapesque relationship with drummers, and it does not stop on V. Daniel Israelsson handles the skins this time, and his dynamics are superb on the album, as he bounces back and forth between subtle accents and full on bashing. Israelsson does a great job on all tracks, except for “The 1,” which is played by former Paradise Lost drummer Peter Damin. Combine all this with Niklas Källgren’s grungy guitar riffs and you have Truckfighters best album yet.

My previous statement is not an exaggeration; V is the best record Truckfighters have produced to date. They have taken themselves from being a Kyuss clone to an anomaly of their genre. When other bands of their ilk are getting heavier or more occult, Truckfighters has added melodic, progressive, and jam elements to their sound. This moody yet energetic turn not only equals a unique sound, but a hell of a lot fun.