TEMPLE BALLS – Avalanche

These feisty Finnish hard rockers never cease to amaze me, and their latest offering appropriately named Avalanche contains an abundance of hooks and thrills that will make you lose your mind and go wild. You will also find your hand and fingers reaching for the “Repeat” button again and again due to the sheer quality and strength of this staggeringly energetic and irresistibly catchy album. Charm and swagger are two words that crop up again and again when cranking this kick-ass beauty up loud, and these guys make each single riff count and immediately grab one’s attention. The vocals fit like a glove, the rhythm section delivers crunch, and the guitars will simply floor you. Everything just gels on this fist-pumping disc, and its eleven dynamic compositions are adrenaline-fueled delights that will leave you feeling ecstatic. Sure, Avalanche is hardly what one would deem original but very few acts out there sound as determined as these guys do and not a single tune on the LP blows or comes across as mediocre. Imagine a cross between early Guns N’ Roses and Slip of the Tongue by Whitesnake with an added dose of Finnish madness to it – that will probably get you halfway to understanding just how magnificent this record is. One of the year’s highlights to these ears.