And the Auckland heavy rock band factory delivers up another elite quality act in Swerve City. Man these guys pack a punch!

Consisting of Kev Ashby, JP Carroll, Adam Forsdyke and Shannon Coulomb, we have ourselves a classic four piece that certainly delivers on the classic rock sound. I’ve not got the info on where the recordings and production took place, but we’ve got on our plate some intense riffs akin to the raw, energetic malevolence of the non-single Appetite For Destruction tracks. A deeeeeeep, dark bottom end, fat as can be, putting me in mind of delightful black on black Les Paul Gibsons snarling along and thickening out a complex, rumbling bass and drums that sound like they are coming from the nest of Moria’s Balrog itself. This is HEAVY rock.

A vocal performance that sits in a prog rock/indie vibe provides the unique point of difference here. Don’t misunderstand me – the vocal certainly fits: what I’m trying to say is it’s a very unexpected and welcome uniqueness. Then at the end he gives us the metal growl. Very versatile singer.

Accompanying at the melody end is a lead guitar that is present and well mastered, blending into the composition and orchestration mix and not overpowering it. The volume cranks up so smoothly for the solo you almost forget it wasn’t as loud a second earlier, which is very good work from whoever mixed it. And of course, the technical performance – as with the rest of the instruments – is top notch.

Lyrically interesting, it’s got a complex blend of the current NZ metal sound, with some real snarl and a malice that I like many muchies! Watching the teaser for the promo vid, I’m looking forward to that as it appears to have a storyboard with intensity and cohesion, and some very cool imagery to boot. Plus it looks like the band had fun playing dress-ups. From the live action shots I saw I can tell they have a compelling stage presence, and they seem poised and aware. The fashion imagery is pretty cool too.

I can’t find anything uncool about this track. It’s a sure-fire regular-to-be on The Rock, Hauraki, and should be on every other rock show on radio and the telly. I believe Riccardo has them on his radar so they should get some exposure I hope.

Go see them live. If you’re playing this privately, turn the volume up. Swerve City has a new fan in me. Heavy rock, delivered well. The precise button to press for Jack’s happy place.