SMACKBOUND – Hostage

This Finnish act’s previous album from three years ago was a bit of a mixed bag to these ears, but I was looking forward to this new one of theirs titled Hostage as I was curious as to how they had developed their brand of modern-sounding hard rock/melodic metal. The good news is that things are definitely moving in the right direction and that their 2023 opus offers a muscular and punchy production, heaps of energy and drive, heartfelt vocals and good melodies, and some impressive interplay between the various members of the group. The rhythm section is solid as hell here, and there is a great flow to the compositions this time around. The atmospherics of album closer ‘The Edge’ are beautiful, and the title track is a riveting and shamelessly catchy affair that pulls out all the stops. The lyrics are relatively dreadful in places, but they undoubtedly mean to inspire and instill some hope in the listener, so let me just say that from a purely musical point of view, this record is well-composed and an entertaining listen where big choruses are not exactly in short supply. Perhaps the best thing about Hostage is that it is packed with personality?