Alright. I am joining Bokassa‘s club-friendly universe from nowhere-land. RMR, the revenant who has no idea what horse this band rode in on. Because – for some reason – our review pipe failed us and All Out of Dreams eloped to somewhere else. Until today, that is. So, same as the motley selection of RMR n00bs in 2023, this here band will be looked at without regard to what it was up to in the past.
Of course, an outfit having the gall to name itself after an infamous (mad) African dictator with links to cannibalism1 and their credo to be – I quote – “…the Buzz Aldrin of Norwegian Rock…” helped the selection process along some. It’s that swagger that meets our usual response. The RMR crew ain’t sure what that reference to astronauts of the ’60s wants to tell us,2 but – hey – challenge fucking accepted!
For long stretches, Bokassa‘s style reminded me of the Toronto / Montreal snazzy Heavy Rock underground. You know, the one with constant hints at Desert Rock that have no place so far up North. Fat riffs, thundering drums, rock-along melodies, and a rough ‘n’ heavy croak that grouchily leads you onward. All of that garnished with some rough-hewn, scratchy ‘n’ wild solos at odd intervals and a high-octane delivery. A feistily healthy in-yer-face aggression that does our rock-starved souls good. And that should round up All Out of Dreams pretty well.
Or should it really?
And the answer is – it depends. You see Bokassa‘s newest 32-minute blurb is a mixed bag of sorts. First, stop searching for this laid-back Desert Rock Southern groove. It ain’t there, it’s all boisterous riot with these guys. All Out of Dreams works best when there’s some velocity to their tune and rampant progression the menu of choice. A bit like Slap Betty, only worse. And truly so, tracks like Garden of Heathen or Straight Edgelord are so damn catchy, you want to start inviting people to your next BBQ party in your backyard with Bokassa as sole entertainment. The things you can do with a bit of borrowed Thrash, punkish belligerence thrown in for good measure, and Jørn Kaarstad3 in fine form.
Things change a bit once the band tries to slow down the pace. That’s when some weak tea moments suddenly appear, such as those anemic clears on Crush for instance. Or cheap entries from synth hell, like the one on All Out of Dreams, the title track. And then, there’s the case of the annoying snare drum that St Anger-ed the hell out of this reviewer all over again. Maybe that alleged invite by Metallica didn’t do them all that good after all. In other words, Bokassa seem to work best as long as they keep the energy levels sky-high. The moment they lower the temperature, they start to sound like The Pogues with a mighty hangover and without their trademark accent.
On the positive side, and true to their punkish roots, All Out of Dreams roars along the tracklist at a pretty lusty pace. Most tracks clock at some 3-4 minutes, keeping the offering fresh and varied. Bokassa also managed to retain some high-end guest contributors like Lou Koller (Sick of It All, Garden of Heathen) on board. And this undoubtedly adds much-needed spice to this already feisty jambalaya.
So, where does this leave us? No doubt, All Out of Dreams contains one of the snazzier rock pieces currently on the RMR webzine. Yet, the pretty rampant shortcomings constantly pull this record down from the dizzying heights it could dwell on. In the end, you got yourself a great first half of the record. But the B-side often sounds like it was mixed and mastered during the graveyard shift. Listless clears from the crypt with songsmithing that sounds subterranean at times. And that is what killed the cat for this record. A true hot ‘n’ cold piece with a lot of lost potential, I fear. Let’s just hope they’ll fix this for their next album. Because the talent is there for moar gruff rowdiness of excellent quality. So, pump up the volume, and let’s have it.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: Indie Recordings | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 16 February 2024