Takin' A Ride

Sweden’s The Chuck Norris Experiment is one of those bands that got lost in the shuffle when they arrived on the scene over 20 years ago. It’s kind of easy when you got stellar bands like the Hellacopters, Turbonegro, Gluecifer, The Donnas, and Backyard Babies hanging around. But they certainly shouldn’t be ignored. Named after the blues guitarist “Charles Norris”, not the karate action star, they’re right up there with their peers in regards to talent, songwriting, and energy. Not to mention output. Like many bands of the “action rock” scene who have been around, they apply their energy not only to their music, but their work ethic. They got quite a catalog with 9 studio albums, a ton of singles and split singles, two live albums, and at least 4 compliation albums, including this one.

Consisting of mostly cover songs and a few originals, I think compilation albums like this are very necessary. A lot of the singles and rare compilation tracks are really hard to track down, as most of them are from minor independent labels from across the world and it’s nice to get them in one place. Or even to be able to find them at all! Like most bands of this ilk, they got some great taste and it shows in their influences and cover songs. Demolition 23, Blue Oyster Cult, Sex Pistols, Misfits, New Bomb Turks, Electric Frankenstein, Dead Moon, and even the Eagles! And best of all, they do it right with super loud guitars and action rock energy which they carry onto their own original material, which rocks just as well.

It’s hard to pick a favorite track here, as they’re all really great. Their version of the Sex Pistols “Problems” is interesting. The Sex Pistols are a hard band to cover. The originals are just so perfect, there’s really no need to cover them. But Chuck Norris Experiment really do a good job, turning it into their own style, playing it twice as fast and twisting the riff just a little, making it a full-on high energy rock song. Same thing for Electric Frankenstein, but the Chuck Norris Experiment’s cover of “Electrify Me” is pretty smokin’! Of course the Eagles would be extremely easy to improve, and they make it their own with “Tryin’”. I didn’t even know it was a cover until I looked up some information for this review. Cover songs are a nice novelty, but they don’t let them overshadow their originals, as songs like “All Your Bridges Are Burning” and “Habit To Support” are right up there too!

You can get the album here. Or on bandcamp.

⚡⚡⚡⚡ 3/4