Album Review: Bokassa - Molotov Rocktail
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
With a blend of stoner, punk, and hard rock, it’s unsurprising that Bokassa have caught attention of those who worship the riff. Most metal fans will be aware of the band from their invitation by Metallica to support them on their ‘Worldwired’ tour. With their second album ‘Crimson Riders’ released during that tour, there was little that could go wrong for the Trondheim outfit.
Album number three, the cleverly titled ‘Molotov Rocktail’ sees the band return with 11 punchy, aggressive, and powerful new tracks. None of them are going to be the biggest challenge cerebrally, with the riff heavy tracks short and sweet. In fact, with the exception of the epic closing track, the seven-minute plus ‘Immortal Space Pirate 3 Too Old For This Sith’, the longest song is ‘Hereticules’, at a mere 4:16 whilst some of the songs clock in closer to half that time.
The songs are anthemic, raucous and hard-hitting. There is no shortage of melody, with their harmonious choruses bringing a softer side. Vocalist and guitarist Jørn Kaarstad rasping vocal delivery works on top of his solid riff work. There’s a swagger in the likes of ‘Code Red’, the title track and ‘Pitchforks R Us’ borne of countless days on the road and hard work in the studio. There is plenty of opportunity to singalong to many of the songs included here, and one can immediately see why Lars Ulrich declared them his ‘new favourite band’.
The odd one out is ‘Immortal Space Pirate 3 Too Old For This Sith’, which combines dark, melancholic doom-laden elements with the more traditional fare. It’s drenched in heavy riffs, the thickly laden bass of Bård Linga and drummer Olav Dowkes’ steady beats. The groove is enchanting, the vocals switch with some delicious cleans and the conclusion epic.
This is another in a long list of albums well worth adding to the playlist. It’s stands apart in comparison to many of the standard stoner albums released so far this year and has enough cojones to jostle for the top slot. Their UK tour later this autumn should be something well worth getting involved.
