HOUSE OF SHAKIRA – Retoxed

What do you get when you mix Def Leppard and Journey? House of Shakira! The Swedish melodic band is back with strong bass lines and big choruses. Retoxed has everything a melodic Metal fan needs and wants: great vocals, strong riffs, smart songs.

Appropriately enough, the album’s title track opens the album. For an opener, “Retoxed” is quiet and relatively slow. Andreas Eklund’s voice is the signature here. A brilliant singer he fights his Swedish accent, especially on the album’s quieter moments. This control means the real rockers come through loud and clear.

“No Faith” fits nicely in the “rocker” category. The pace is fast and harmonies heavy. Self-produced by the band, the talented Swedes really boosted the bass and backing vocals, creating an interesting rhythm section. The guitars actually take center stage on portions of “No Faith,” with several bits of Eklund’s vocals muted for a sort of post-modern listening extravaganza.

Retoxed is House of Shakira’s fifth album; a sign of success is growth. While the entire disc shows maturity, songs like “Red Alert” really confirm the band’s songwriting ability. Both in music and words, this track utilizes simple melodies to create a great listening experience. The production mix of high and low vocals adds an interesting texture to a song that can actually fit within many genres. Reminiscent of Tesla and Danger Danger, “Red Alert” also sounds surprisingly modern. House of Shakira will perform “Red Alert” live for many years to come.

The album closes with “Turkish Nights,” which features interesting timing and staccato rhythms before the signature soaring vocals of Eklund. Here, more than any other spot on Retoxed the backing vocals work absolutely in tandem with the musical arrangement. While the backing vocals are superb on the entire release, they shine on “Turkish Nights.” The song is rich with complex textures and actually has the power to transport the listener to another place and time.

House of Shakira is

Tony Andersson – Drums
Per Schelander – Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Andreas Eklund – Lead Vocals
Anders Lundstrom – Guitars
Mats Hallstensson – Lead Guitars