The Quill — Hooray! It's a Deathtrip

If there's one heavy rockband that deserves more fame and respect, it must be Swedish four-man formation The Quill. I got to know this excellent band last year, trough their third album Voodoo Caravan. Suffice to say, before the third track had ended I was already quite impressed by the band's passionate, stoner-like branch of heavy rock. Finally a follow-up to the previous album has been released, and I can only say that this new album really highlights The Quill's talent and relevance.

For those who are not familiar with the preceding work of the band: The Quill represent energetic heavy rock, unfortunately labelled stoner all too often. Why unfortunately? Well, for one The Quill have a far too original and authentic sound to be labelled anything without really giving it some thought. Alright, there are your typical 'stoner-moments', but there is a lot more to it. For example, the band displays a genuine love for '70s bands such as Mountain and Led Zeppelin. I think this reflects heavier on the sound than the less obvious stoner-influences. Frankly, as it is the case with many, many other bands, by forcing The Quill in a specific genre you only inflict damage, as these gentlemen make full use of the rich musical spectrum that is commonly referred to as heavy rock.

When compared to Voodoo Caravan, the most striking about Hooray! It's a Deathtrip is that the band has included a bit more variation. Each song features a very individual and recognisable character, and when it comes to style and the application of influences, the songs are definitely more outspoken. American Powder, for example, is quite reminiscent of Superunknown-era Soundgarden, a feeling that is only enhanced by the fact that at times, Magnus Ekwall's vocals come very close to the distinct sound of Chris Cornell. Totally different in composition and approach, the folky Hammerhead clearly refers to the old Led Zeppelin stuff.
Generally speaking this album contains a lot of 'drive', and the musicians come across as having had a lot of fun while writing and recording Hooray! It's a Deathtrip. This record is the result of the combined efforts of a band that is completely content with what they are doing at this particular moment in their lives, and are able to access a special source of rock 'n roll-magic only the most driven of musicians have a knowledge of.
Among the finest songs are Nothing Ever Changes (The Quill at their most energetic and catchy), Come What May (delicious build-up towards a great chorus and one of Magnus' best vocal performances) and Hammerhead (the aforementioned Zeppelin-esque track).

I played this album once a day for quite some time, something I admittedly rarely do. Those who found the Swedes previous work compelling, will have a bomb getting to know this one, which is in my opinion the best album The Quill have released in their time.