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BULLET
Full Pull

Nuclear Blast (2012)
Rating: 8.5/10

Although the Swedish band has been releasing albums since 2006, this is Bullet’s proper introduction to the world stage. Full Pull is exactly as it says it is; a full on, pedal-to-the-floor rocker that makes bands like Airbourne and The Answer sound as manufactured as New Kids On The Block.

From the start, the band screams and drinks their way through this monolith of rock guitars (from Hampus Klang and Erik Almström) and screechy vocals (from Hell Hofer) that only a mother could love, all wrapped in lyrical stories of debauchery, loneliness, women, and, of course, alcohol.

The album opens with the slow build of ‘Midnight Oil’. The song grooves you into the rest of the album with its dynamic guitar work, reminding me of the way AC/DC’s classic The Razor’s Edge (1990) opens so powerfully with ‘Thunderstruck’. The title track really gets the motor running though with its down and dirty anthemic rock, the kind that is best suited to dingy, packed out bars that sell cheap beer in mason jars. While the guitars may be big and the vocals may be over the top, this definitely has more akin with Harley riding than it does with the muddy frat boys that you see in sold out arenas.

The more dynamic ‘Free Riding’ is a highlight as well, boasting tinges of Thin Lizzy, early Kiss, and Bon Scott era AC/DC. ‘Warriors’ is a favourite of mine. It has some really excellent lead guitar work and I love the solo. Every bit of it screams classic rock, but it’s just a bit bigger sounding than you’d expect it to be which gives it an extra edge. ‘All Fired Up’ and ‘High On The Hog’ are big anthems that feature a bluesier swagger and easy to sing along to choruses. Sure, it’s nothing new, but it’s a helluva lot of fun to drive to.

I’d like to say I loved this from the start (because I totally do now), but the reality is that the first listen was rough and I found myself thinking, “What the hell is this?!” more than once. Sometime the second time around I realised that Bullet likely doesn’t give two shits that I think they sound unnervingly like AC/DC, and that’s when it hit me that the point here is to drink some beer and have some fun.

Full Pull isn’t worth analysing and dissecting and exploring its musical merits; it’s just a bunch of guys living rock ’n’ roll as opposed to trying to play rock ’n’ roll. And that’s what makes Full Pull so special.

Mark Fisher

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