Simon RushworthThe Gems — Year Of The Snake (Napalm)
The Gems are fast becoming the jewel in the Napalm Records crown.
Two albums in and the edgy Swedish trio already sound like a band that’s been knocking out raucous hard rock classics for decades.
Year Of The Snake’s retro roots lean heavily on the riff-fuelled mayhem that powered the big beasts of the late 70s and early 80s.
There’s Purple, Lizzy and early Coverdale in the mix.
And the axe work’s meaty enough to pique the interest of Rushonrock’s NWOBHM devotees.
But don’t assume this is a three-piece that exists exclusively in the past.
Theirs is a sound that brings hard rock’s storied past bang up to date — explosively.
Thundermother Mk II — all three Gems split from their former band three years ago — are three musicians on a mission.
And that mission is to breathe new life into a Scandi scene that’s been missing something this bombastic since fellow Swedes Bonafide first burst onto the scene.
Powerhouse vocalist Guernica Mancini sets the pace and her lung-busting performance is refreshingly relentless.
Welding Lzzy Hale-esque melody to her trademark fury, The Gems’ unyielding frontwoman is a true find.
Mancini digs deep as her band mates dig deeper — Mona ‘Demona’ Lindgren (guitar/bass) and Emlee Johansson are the driving force underpinning an absorbing album.
Treasure The Gems. It’s their time to shine.
Big year for Year Of The Snake
On Go Along To Get Along Mancini bellows ‘Breaking the chains of yesterday/I’m going to do it my way’.
It’s just one of the many piercing lines punctuating Year Of The Snake which, given February 2023’s high voltage Thundermother fallout, feels pertinent.
It would be easy to view The Gems’ second long player through the lens of an ugly split but looking to the past is pointless.
Year Of The Snake is all about the exciting future that awaits a band on the brink of something truly special.
The fist-pumping anthems come thick and fast.
Buckle Up is an absolute blast (and, trust us, you need to fasten in for Year Of The Snake) and Diamond In The Rough’s a sparkling testament to The Gems’ commitment to their craft.
Tommy Johansson (Majestica) checks in to add some serious weight to Gravity.
And check out Lindgren’s stellar solo on the stunning Stars.
There’s so much to love about this supercharged set from the heiresses apparent to much-missed Rushonrock-approved party starters The Amorettes.
Year Of The Snake should usher in The Gems’ biggest year yet.
