One of my reliably favorite bands gave me a bit of a scare in September 2016, when Graveyard announced their breakup. But then just a few months later they were back together, with new drummer Oskar Bergenheim. Some may have scoffed at the drama, but hey, musicians are sensitive! I’m sure it felt like a death blow to lose drummer Axel Sjöberg (who’s new project Big Kizz also recently released an album). I was just relieved. Some may have been disappointed with the experimentation with slower paced torch songs and soul ballads on Innocence And Decadence (2015), but to me it showed the band expanding their skillset and proving their mastery of a more diverse range of styles. Lights Out (2012) may be my favorite set of songs still, but the band continues to get better.
Peace kicks off with “It Ain’t Over Yet,” the kind of screaming scorcher that characterized their first album, but with more interesting arrangements, organ accents and backing vocals. “Cold Love” is a highlight introduced with a riff that recalls the nasty tones of Blue Cheer or The Stooges. “See The Day” is an ethereal vocal turn from bassist Truls Mörck, who originally played guitar on the first album, left and rejoined the band as bassist on the last album, contributing vocals on “From A Hole In The Wall.” His slow-burn on this song and even better, his Phil Lynott inspired performance on “Bird Of Paradise” indicate he’s becoming a George Harrison-like secret weapon who the band may be able to lean on even more in the future. “Please Don’t” was the album’s first single, a more typical example of the kind of driving rocker the band excels at, an approach that has rubbed off on other bands such as fellow Swedes Troubled Horse, who really would be an ideal tourmate. “The Fox” is not all that different, but complements the right jab of “Please Don’t” with a left hook, and in turn is their second single. “Walk On” stalks at a metronic, menacing pace, quiets down as if preparing to pounce, returning to the chorus one last time. A nice middle bridge to the album.
Possibly the most striking song is “Del Manic,” which has Joakim Nilsson reaching down into a lower register for the first time on the album. I’ve always admired Nilsson’s vocals, a gravelly mix of a bluesy Jim Morrison, Mark Lanegan’s growls and Chris Cornell’s shrieks, but adding his own flavor. But here he’s reaching for an even higher bar, set by Paul Rodgers during his time with Free. Despite being incredibly young, Free were musician’s musicians, inspiring stars more successful and experienced than them. They achieved such a beautifully effortless sounding flow that no one’s ever quite captured since. It’s to Graveyard’s credit that they can at least touch on that greatness without overreaching.
A note about the production, while the sticker calls attention to the fact that it was produced by Chips Kiesbye (The Hellacopters) and engineered by Stefan Boman (Alice Cooper, Def Leppard), their sound largely remains consistent throughout all five albums, meaning an overdriven garage sound with the needles often in the red, creating a bit of distortion in the high end. This can get a little fatiguing, but it helps if played on speakers with fat 10-12″ woofers, or heavy headphones that might roll off some top end. It also sounds good when I flip my amp to tube mode.
Penultimate track “A Sign Of Peace” feels a bit like the album’s statement of purpose, a summary of their stage in creative evolution — “We still got ways to get a hold of what we need.” But for now “You got me sitting on your hook” and it feels good for now. “Low (I Wouldn’t Mind)” closes the album with a satisfying jam, an extended heartbeat bass intro, the band locking into some nice interplay and riffing, and the closest thing to an guitar solo. Graveyard has always been more about locking in as an ensemble rather than showing off soloists, and the tensions between restraint and release pays off repeatedly with Graveyard. This may be my second or third favorite Graveyard album, I haven’t settled on that yet, but it’s definitely contender for best album this year so far.
