LIPZ
“Changing The Melody”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

LIPZ are a hard rock band from Sweden formed in 2011, releasing to date one E.P. – ‘Psycho’ (2015), and two full length albums – ‘Scaryman’ (2018) and ‘Changing The Melody’ (2024).

Founded by the Klintberg brothers Alexander (vocals, guitar) and Koffe (drums), the bands line-up is completed by Conny Svard (guitar) and Chris Young (bass) – LIPZ are a hard rocking sleaze come glam rock band with a sound that harks back to the eighties when the likes of Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt and Cinderella ruled the roost. These four bands, along with many others, re-wrote and redefined a genre of rock that’s heavy hitting, bombastic and portrays one hell of a party atmosphere. And even though the Swedish rockers have an immense old school flavour to their music, there’s plenty of modern day influences to keep the band current and up-to-date, for if there’s one thing that LIPZ aren’t, it’s a retro rock band – the bands new album clocking in at just thirty six minutes in length featuring ten hard hitting anthems. ‘I’m Going Under’ gets the party started with an incredible burst of energy, the sound of eighties party rock immediately filling the air as the band sizzle red hot with a tonne of sass!

And after such a rip-roaring opener, LIPZ keep the hammer down and surge forth with the harder hitting title song ‘Changing The Melody’ – and an infectious level that’s doubled, no tripled! The catchy nature of ‘Changing The Melody’ (the song) is off the fucking charts, the sing a long-able chorus the stuff of stadium rock, the band oozing an attractive quality that’s quite simply out of this world! I was fortunate to have grown up (as a teenager) during the eighties rock (and metal) revolution listening to most, if not all, the genres leading lights, and the sense of excitement I felt way back then is exactly the same way I’m feeling right now – LIPZ maintaining the albums immense bombastic start with ‘Bang Bang’. And the sing a long ability of the chorus here is even greater than ‘Changing The Melody’ (the song), the band creating an amazing atmosphere that if transferred to a live arena is gonna set the fucking place on fire! Every concert goer – and every listener too – are gonna be singing along to everything the band have to offer, the album marching on with a weighty touch of Southern rock swagger courtesy of ‘Stop Talk About…’. The influence here of the likes of Aerosmith is undeniable, LIPZ parading around the rock genres like they own the place. And for these thirty six minutes or so, they damn well do own the fucking place!

Since the album began, energy, oomph and pizzazz has poured outta every song like lava out of a volcano, LIPZ red fucking hot as ‘Changing The Melody’ (the album) powers on with a pulsating injection of melodic AOR, ‘Bye Bye Beautiful’ a sparkling blend of the bands hard rock roots and (the aforementioned) melodic AOR! And the continuation of ear pleasing sing a long-able choruses too, every single one on offer displaying an immense magical force that simply caresses you in to singing a long – ‘I’m Alive’ entering the fray as the hardest hitting song heard so far! LIPZ meld every style of rock they have in their locker to deliver a song that transcends both borders and limits – fans of heavy rock and even heavy metal are gonna be enticed into the bands soundscape with this one. A soundscape that’s fucking incredible and so far reaching, ‘Changing The Melody’ (the album) striding majestically into ballad territory with ‘Freak’. So raise your lighters high and sway from side to side and let yourself float away with the mellow serenity created by the band, ‘Freak’ trying its best to break free from the reins holding back all the energy and bombast of the album up to this point!

Energy and bombast that finally breaks free with the ground shuddering ‘Secret Lover’, and a slight nod towards the sound of Swedish pop rockers Roxette’s ‘The Look’ (from the bands 1988 album ‘Look Sharp!’), and in particular the repeated “na, na, na” chant! What an in concert moment that’s gonna be, ‘Secret Lover’ surely a dead cert for inclusion in the bands live set! Every song heard so far has clocked in at around three minutes in length, with the (albums) final two songs clocking in at over four minutes apiece – ‘I Would Die For You’ the longest on offer at just four seconds shy of five minutes! And for every one of its five minutes, ‘I Would Die For You’ dazzles with an incredible blues rock feel, LIPZ turning the lights way down to stroll on at the mellowest pace heard on the album – for the first minute and a half anyway! And then boom – the classic sound of power balladry comes crashing in like a jackhammer smashing through concrete! So raise your lighters high once again readers, it’s the least ‘I Would Die For You’ deserves – ‘Changing The Melody’ (the album) coming to a barnstorming finish with the raucous ‘Monsterz’. Hitting harder and faster than any other song on offer, ‘Monsterz’ plants one “foot on the monitor” to adopt the iconic pose and gallop of traditional heavy metal, the band offering the head bangers of the world an opportunity to rock their heads back and forth!

Overall, a heavy hitting hard rocking album of infectious sleaze come glam rock, LIPZ serve up ten tasty stadium rockers.

TRACKLIST

I’m Going Under
Changing The Melody
Bang Bang
Stop Talk About…
Bye Bye Beautiful
I’m Alive
Freak
Secret Lover
I Would Die For You
Monsterz

https://www.lipzband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lipzband

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