Band of Spice - How We Play The Game (Scarlet Records)

English:CD-preview
  Van Muylem    23 september 2022

Never heard of this one but felt like giving it a try! This is a rock band from Småland, Sweden, founded by Christian "Spice" Sjötrand in 2006. Initially called Spice And The RJ Band and released two albums under that name.


Bringin’ back the 70’s into hard rock! 'How We Play the Game’ is kind of a continuation of the previous release – the superb 2021 effort titled ‘By the Corner of Tomorrow’ that re-launched Band of Spice’s career. If you thought that that one had a “heavy” approach, you will soon realize that this time Spice and his loyal crew put in an even higher gear to create their hardest album yet. The new record is filled with sharp blistering riffs and rumbling drums; vocals that are both harsh and melodic; songs that will take you to another place and time; lyrics that are both honest and twisted… 

Yes, it’s dirty, gritty and sophisticated at the same time – just like life. It’s real rock’n’roll, baby, not the modern, sugarcoated version of it. 

It’s Band of Spice anno 2022!

So far the promo talk, let's focus on the review:

Gone Insane starts slowly. At first I wasn’t even sure I was listening to the right music and then suddenly the song explodes and the vocals pump it up! I like the way the vocals change from screaming to clean and vice versa! The guitar play is excellent, I even hear the bass guitar and the drums are no too loud. Demonized starts in a cool way with a retro rock sound and vocals that sound very familiar (Accept?). It’s a smoking hot track with a perfect live feel! I really like it! My Game starts slowly and runs off like a horse (listen to the guitars). I adore the retro sound, the volume and it gives me a warm feeling! Below the Sun sounds like another great track to perform on stage with enough changes in the rhythm and enough variation. Control sounds like how an old school rocker should sound like! It’s a delight for fans of retro 70/80’s rock sound! Towards the end it get’s a bit into psychedelic. The vocals also reach out a lot and show off: from clean vocals to screaming hard, loud and long! Descending can be described as a bluesy rocker where it feels like Janis Joplin is just around the corner but is too afraid to jump in. I like the dark feel and the ending! Offside starts like a bomb track and keeps on speeding as if there is no time left! The end screams for a live version! Little Casino has no vocals and sounds like a good opener for a gig, so that at the end the singer can join when they start the next one! A Song For you is a good track that mixes rock with a bit of melancholia and some blues. It’s a good closing track!

Well I was happy with it at this album took me back in time and gave me satisfaction! As I reviewed it one month before I could release the review I can tell you that by now I almost played the whole album 70 times and am still enjoying it! I hope you also discover this one! Keep on rocking guys!

BAND OF SPICE is:
Spice - vocals, guitar
Alexander Sekulovski - bass
Bob Ruben - drums