NAUGHTY BOYS — Destiny Calls (review)

NAUGHTY BOYS — Destiny Calls album cover Album · 2009 · Glam Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Stephen
Another Swedish sleaze? Bet you think what I think, judging by the band's name, would be doubtful if names like Crashdiet, Nasty Idols, or Hardcore Superstar doesn't fly like a floating gas baloon in your brain, but Naughty Boys’ sophomore release, "Destiny Calls" apparently proved me wrong as their music is more of a border between classic melodic metal of Dokken or Keel and the modern melodic hard rock of Jaded Heart or Gotthard. Mikael Sandvik's vocal work is amazing, he plays at the baritone level most of the time, somehow reminds me of Mike Tramp or the late Steve Lee, but the occasional jump to the upper register is effortless and stunning.

The title track burst with metallic riffs, it has a great start but the chorus just needs a slight improvement to prevail. "Walk Away" took over the moment. The Dokken-esque pattern is obvious here, a better song I must say, and together with "Endless Pain", both songs win my heart. "Don't Turn Around"'s piano intro will mislead you into thinking it's a ballad, but then the distorted guitar swept in fiercely and the rhythm blasted into a gigantic chorus, what a song! The sixth track, "Eternity" is the real ballad, I swear it can be Edguy's lost song, the Sammett's inspiration is everywhere, quite predictable but a good one. "Head Held High" is a midtempo champion with infectious hooks while "Runaway Train" borrows Gotthard's element, and another winner in my book.

With a great production and accomplished musicians, and of course with a tight and strong songs selection, Naughty Boys successfully delivered an excellent release that should make them proud. However, I still think tracks like "Broken", "Time", or the closer ballad, "Fly With The Angels" could have done better. They need to spice up the songs with more memorable hooks and stronger chord progression, but overall, I didn't see any wasteful tracks from start to finish so that's already a neat achievement. Very good album indeed and recommended to fans of melodic metal, glam, and European melodic rock.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Everything Hurts And I'm Dying Atmospheric Sludge Metal
NEGATIVE BLISS
Buy this album from MMA partners
L'impôt du sang Melodic Black Metal
CONIFÈRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Pleroma Progressive Metal
ORGONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
n​ê​bam​Ω​ejn Atmospheric Black Metal
TRHÄ
Buy this album from MMA partners
∫um'ad​∂​ejja cavvaj Atmospheric Black Metal
TRHÄ
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Origin Of Infinity - Chronosphere (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)
ORIGIN OF INFINITY
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Kingdom of Heaven - “Pleasures of Pain”
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Bosh66· 1 day ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 18 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 18 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 18 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed