Second Assault

Really fantastic 70s-style heavy metal from Sweden—recalls Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Pentagram, Sir Lord Baltimore. Described as “Black Sabbath meets Fleetwood Mac” in another review—that’s not too far off the mark. Like their fellow countrymen Witchcraft, or local acts such as Electric Shepherd and Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound, they sound perfectly authentic without any retro or gimmicky kitsch. Soaring vocals, passionate guitar harmonies churned through vintage tube-amps, all driving ahead at a full heavy metal gallop. This is fucking great, period.
FCC clean.

1. (4:47)** clever and familiar-yet-not-cliché blues riffs with some Wishbone Ash style harmonies
2. (3:01) goofy but catchy cowbell rawk with some middle eastern melodies
3. (4:49) soft psychedelic prog ballad adds some layers of heaviness, mellows out into a placid guitar jam.
4. (3:56) summery hard rock drifting through a daze of fuzzy feedback, cloying vocal hooks
5. (4:01)** a lost track from Witchcraft’s first album? No, but it might as well be—lo-fi and somber , almost like depressed classic rock. Show this to your younger cousin who just discovered Zeppelin so he’ll shut up about it already.
6. (2:58)** SICK upbeat catchy blues-metal, think Blue Cheer and Cream
7. (4:51)* overdriven jangly blues-rock with some mellow crooning prog ballad parts that gradually gain momentum and kick total ass by the end
8. (3:16) anthemic rock, dark lead guitar contrasting with upbeat acoustic guitar and folksy harmonies
9. (3:25)*** intense, driving 70s doom-boogie, totally rad guitar solos and hooks
10. (5:14) ***BAD ASS intricately paced metal with groovy harmonies, think Iron Maiden meets Budgie