Street Legal Bite the Bullet
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Coming nearly a decade after their debut (2000’s Thunderdome), 2009’s Bite the Bullet is the second album from Norwegian melodic rockers Street Legal.
Never a huge name in the melodic rock world (outside of Norway, at least) Street Legal’s return might not have drawn as much attention, save for the fact that Bite the Bullet boasts guitar work by none other than Tore Ostby of Ark and Conception fame. Ostby’s presence ought to be enough to convince people to give the album a try, and the songs on Bite the Bullet should guarantee nobody regrets their decision. Bite the Bullet is a much more refined and mature album than its predecessor. The album has a definite Thin Lizzy/UFO vibe. It’s very rocking and very melodic, with solid midrange vocals from ex-DaVinci frontman Bjorn Boge. Ostby lights this album up, blazing away as much as he can get away with on a melodic rock album.
Bite the Bullet is a solid album all-around, and the songs are fairly well-written. The album’s most interesting moments though, are a pair of oddball covers. The first is a cover of Bad News’ (a Spinal Tap-like parody band) “Warriors of Genghis Khan” and the second is the dance anthem “Maniac” from the Flashdance soundtrack. The band plays both songs without a hint of irony, and both make convincing hard rockers, though Firewind beat Street Legal to the punch with their version of “Maniac” on Premonition.
The year is young, but Street Legal’s comeback album is already one of the better melodic rock albums 2009 has to offer. If you’re a fan of this kind of music, you should definitely check out Bite the Bullet, even (especially) if you weren’t a fan of the band the first time around.
Label: Frontiers
Lineup:
Bjorn Boge – Vocals, Bass
Oystein Boge – Drums
Tore Ostby – Guitars
Rolf Bjorseth – Guitars
Track Listing:
Loading Up
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Unconditional Love
Warriors of Genghis Khan
Shadow in My Heart
Bite the Bullet
Starship Trooper
Trapped
The Battle of Kringen
Maniac
Silent Tear
Online: On MySpace
HRH Rating: 7.5/10