WIG WAM: "Wall Street"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Woah, that's one ugly art cover (see pic right). It looks like the work of some halfwit daft kid using the Atari computer 'ala 1984. Who's the little genius at work? OMG! I Wish I Had A Gun (pun intended). Album number four by The Norwegian Glam, melodic rockers may not impress at first spin but it's a grower... up to a certain point (quite the opposite to the Great White platter). Clearly not as straight forward and plain simple as their previous attempts at world domination though.

The Wig Wam's have decided for the big/grande picture and various soundswaves in the form of children choir, electronica effects, stomping beats, and perhaps a more Freddie Mercury vs. Alice Cooper style to their melodies? Pompous and over the top? Not really, but it's a diverse sounding record and it may require a more open-minded attitude towards the arrangements. It's difficult to stay true to their colours and at the same time try out something new and different. It's the old saying of damned if you do, damned if you don't, people simply won't be pleased no matter what.

Glam sings on the opening title track "Wall Street" that and I quote, 'I don't care about the money'. But according to Meja it's all about the money. It's nontheless a catchy sing along anthem. "OMG (I Wish I Had A Gun)" feature a simple but catchy refrain which I believe came straight out of the closet (at the house?) where Des Child lives. "Bleeding Daylight" is a darker, moodier version of the band and it feels like a mixture of Scorpions 'Alien Nation-sound' and the gothic side of Primal Fear. The eighties funky/electronica (industrial extra lite) rock of "One Million Enemies" is a nice change from the usual schlock and the chorus is very Alice Cooper 'ala The Man Behind The Mask and Constrictor. The same could be said about "Try My Body On" only skip the electronica. "Natural High" - verses are (very) low key and close to speaky (spooky?) before the chorus explodes into Glam rock. Final verdict: some real turds among the nuggets and it's far from the perfect picture. However, it's a solid attempt at the experimential side of Wig Wam-Glam.