Album Review: Junkyard Drive - Look At Me Now
Reviewed by Lana Teramae
Formed in 2014, Danish hard rock band Junkyard Drive have worked hard to build a name for themselves by constantly touring around the world and releasing three critically acclaimed studio albums. Their fourth album, ‘Look at Me Now’ (2024), literally marks the start of something new for the band, internally and mentally. The most notable change is the inclusion of guitarists Oliver Hartmann and Kristoffer Kristensen to the lineup. The rest of the band remains the same with Kristian Johansen on lead vocals, Claus Munch on drums, and Mikkel Sjus on bass guitar. ‘Look at Me Now’ was produced by Soren Andersen, who has worked with rock legend Glenn Hughes.
Those who haven’t heard a lick of Junkyard Drive will be pleasantly surprised by the charismatic and high-energy vocals of Kristensen, who sounds like a mix between Ronnie James Dio and Klaus Meine from the Scorpions The opening track, “Somewhere to Hide,” is an upbeat rocker with a lot of groove and nasty wah-wah guitar playing. The title, “Shoot from the Hip,” sounds familiar because it’s a lyric from the title track of AC/DC’s ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ (2000). Whether that was planned or not, who knows. But, the song itself is good old rock ‘n’ roll. “Beauty Fool” has a memorable chorus and it’s the perfect driving tune for cruising down a highway.
“Blood Red Sky” is a melodic, mid-paced rocker that has an anthemic feel to it, mostly due to the lyrics. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t sound too far off from Judas Priest’s “Giants in the Sky,” in spots. “Saw You Hanging There” is the album’s big power ballad. A little cheesy, but the guitar solo is killer, it’s melodic, and Johansen pours his heart and soul into the lead vocals. “The Tide is High” is another track that grooves hard, and has a funky guitar riff and infectious backing vocals.
One small complaint would be the closing track, “Afterglow,” another ballad. It’s not a terrible song, but it finishes the album on an anticlimatic note. However, ‘Look at Me Now’ is still a fine album with modern sounding production that allows everyone to shine. It’s a feel-good and headbanging classic rock album. And again, Johansen sounds like a mix of two of the best rock singers in history, which is not a bad thing.
‘Look at Me Now’ will be released on April 12, 2024 through Mighty Music.
