Review MÄRVEL ‘Graces Came With Malice’

That Sweden has a vibrant hard/retro rock scene is nothing new and the fact of The Hellacopters, who recently released a new album, belong to the trailblazers is well known too. Another band, being in business since many years are Märvel. The trio started in 2002 and celebrates a 20-year anniversary as we speak. What fits better than unleashing a new album as the soundtrack for such a milestone moment.

‘Graces Came with Malice’ is the title pf their ninth studio album, a disc that shows again why the trio has a very solid fanbase. Märvel’s rock music is catchy and at the same time echoes the real spirit of rock’n’roll. Always delighting listeners with excellently crafted rock songs I one aspect of the success of Märvel and the dynamic sound of their records add the final touch to this rock’n’roll enterprise.

The new album features ten songs, each of them a sonic pearl. What makes ‘Graces Came With Malice’ to a great album is, next to songwriting, the versatility of these ten songs. The is the heavy blues rocker ‘Hot Nite in Dallas’ with a lot of ZZ Top feel. The drive and energy this tune entail is impressive and sitting still is a mission impossible while listening to this smasher.

‘Hot Nite in Dallas’ comes towards the end of the album and the journey towards this highlight is as great as the mentioned track itself. The very beat-driven ‘Slasher With a Broken Heart’ kick things off, followed by ‘The Disaster’. The latter is a grooving tune that hands the baton over to the hard-hitting ‘Sound of Life Slipping Away’. And is it just me that must think about Kiss while listening to the song?

The title track is the centerpiece of the tracklist and is the soulful moment, surrounded by smashing rock’n’roll anthems. One of them is entitled ‘One Common Enemy’, a faster paced tune and a real energizer.

Märvel’s ninth studio album is a next step for a band that surfs the wave of rock’n’roll with passion and commitment. These three guys from Sweden have found their musical home quite a while ago and add to it with every new album. ‘Graces Came With Malice’ is a stellar rock’n’roll record that is entertaining and brings some sun into daily life.