{"id":12313,"date":"2013-02-27T00:00:06","date_gmt":"2013-02-27T00:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=12313"},"modified":"2013-06-10T16:13:52","modified_gmt":"2013-06-10T16:13:52","slug":"album-review-hardcore-superstar-cmon-take-on-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-hardcore-superstar-cmon-take-on-me\/","title":{"rendered":"HARDCORE SUPERSTAR – C\u2019mon Take On Me (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

HARDCORE SUPERSTAR
C\u2019mon Take On Me<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nNuclear Blast (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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With the recent trend toward classic glam sounds being reintroduced into mainstream metal, it\u2019s easy to forget that some of the bands that are embracing the sound of their lipstick-stained predecessors have been at this for quite a while. Sweden\u2019s Hardcore Superstar are among the rock veterans that are using the classic sounds of the 1980s to make their mark in the modern metal market.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re familiar with the band\u2019s mix of glam and thrash sounds then you\u2019ll find more of what you expect on Hardcore Superstar\u2019s ninth studio album, C\u2019mon Take On Me<\/em>. Somewhere between the street metal of early M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce<\/a> and the mature rock sound of Tesla or Faster Pussycat\u2019s releases around 1991 is where Hardcore Superstar takes their stand, offering a fresh take on a timeless sound. <\/p>\n

To be fair, C\u2019mon Take On Me<\/em> doesn\u2019t start well. Opening track \u2018Cutting The Slack\u2019 is a bit of cheesy keyboard circus music that brings to mind the opening themes of the Re-Animator<\/em> or Puppet Master<\/em> movie franchises. Thirty seconds of this would be sufficient, but as the two-minute mark passes, this becomes extremely annoying.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, it\u2019s followed by the album\u2019s title track, a rocker that delivers the sleazy hard rock we all expect from Hardcore Superstar. \u2018C\u2019mon Take On Me\u2019 opens with big guitars and a metal scream from vocalist Joakim \u201cJocke\u201d Berg. At this point this release is back on track, and continues in fine form for several songs. Huge, melodic hooks abound. The title track and the following \u2018One More Minute\u2019 sport arena rock choruses that remind me that behind all the eye shadow and blush of the 80s were seriously catchy songs. By the end of the third track the sins of the opening salvo are all but forgotten. <\/p>\n

There are many high points on C\u2019mon Take On Me<\/em>. \u2018Above The Law (Don\u2019t Care At All)\u2019 is a solid rocker firmly planted in the street metal tradition. \u2018Are You Gonna Cry Now?\u2019 brings out the thrash power that was more prominent on the band\u2019s earlier releases, and adds muscle to the melodic rock that has been honed to near perfection on this release. \u2018Stranger Of Mine\u2019 is a bluesy ballad featuring a haunting acoustic rhythm guitar foundation. \u2018Too Much Business\u2019 taps into the power that made Guns N\u2019 Roses\u2019 Appetite For Destruction<\/em> (1987) a monster, and the opening riffs drip classic Guns N\u2019 Roses attitude. Closing track \u2018Long Time No See\u2019 starts slow, but builds into a rocker that brings to mind Hanoi Rocks. All in all, there are some excellent songs represented on C\u2019mon Take On Me<\/em>. <\/p>\n

As with most releases, not every song is a jewel, and some definitely shine brighter than others. Aside from the abysmal opening track, some songs just don\u2019t seem to fit as well as others. \u2018Won\u2019t Take The Blame Pt. 2 (Sect Meeting)\u2019 is a confusing addition to the album, as it seems to be nearly two minutes of the band playing with all the various ways it\u2019s possible to play the chorus from the previous track, \u2018Won\u2019t Take The Blame Pt. 1\u2019. It doesn\u2019t add much to the song it extends, and becomes repetitive enough to be grating.<\/p>\n

While there are some ill-conceived moments, C\u2019mon Take On Me<\/em> is about 80% high quality rock, and there are songs on here that stick with you for days on end. I can\u2019t get enough of my favourite songs on this album, and keep coming back to several of them on a daily basis. Well done, Hardcore Superstar.<\/p>\n

Jim McDonald<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HARDCORE SUPERSTARC\u2019mon Take On Me Nuclear Blast (2013)Rating: 7\/10 With the recent trend toward classic glam sounds being reintroduced into mainstream metal, it\u2019s easy to forget that some of the bands that are embracing the sound of their lipstick-stained predecessors have been at this for quite a while. Sweden\u2019s Hardcore Superstar are among the rock […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,591],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-hardcore-superstar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12313"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12317,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12313\/revisions\/12317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}