Named after a Blue Cheer track and not a popular movie (gotcha!), Magnolia has been around since '94 and their 2006 debut is a worthy companion to your dinosaur collection of Mountain, Robin Trower, Hendrix, Cream and naturally the Blue Cheer albums. Magnolia's music is driven by ripping rhythm/riffs straight out of the late 60s bag of tricks and some really thumping bass lines from Ronny Ericksson that lock in brilliantly with the hard hitting drumming. The vocals are done in gruffy Swedish to give it a different edge and it really works to the band's benefit.

While a lot of this isn't groundbreaking because it doesn't want to be and it needn't be, they do bring in something that's not expected from this band. That comes as early as the fourth song, a fusiony instrumental called 'Trollbunder'. They don't waste much time doing that, and return to their dirty heavy blues rock of 'Stanna Till!', which sees them do the fuzzy groove thing and go on to do a short but a righteous burst of jam, before returning to the chorus. Whatever effects they've put on the vocals, it sounds good.

Most of the bands mentioned above have a guitar hero, and these guys, while not setting the fretboard on fire, do not disappoint. They play some tasteful licks, harmonise and jam like pros, without getting overbearing and forced. A rocking wah-drenched solo moment like on 'Natt Blev Day' is all I ask for in my rock and these guys deliver this and more.

'Dalslandsk Polska' is driven by this big trombone stomp supported by some smooth drumming showing off their affinity to the early 70s fusion again. Very rare to hear something like this on a blues-rock album and trust these Swedes to do something like this. With the album closer 'Vem Bestammer?', the slowest, darkest and the heaviest this band has gotten so far, Magnolia's self-titled debut album comes to a halt, and this has been one catchy and addictive slab of heavy blues rock. Look forward to their follow-up expected to release in September 2008 on Transubstans.



Label: Transubstans Records
Year of Release: 2006/07