Aztek Sun – “Hard rock as it was meant to be played,” as it says across the top of the band’s bio. Fortunately Aztek Sun can back up their confidence with action and have sent HRH an accomplished CD that I’ll wager should gain them the record deal they crave. Whilst the music (and more of that shortly) is very good, the old image could do with a teeny-weeny make over. The double-fingered salute is just soooooooo not cool anymore, but that’s not important just yet. 

Aztek Sun have been around for a couple of years now and are one of the monumental amount of great bands coming out of Sweden (the south of that country, to be more precise.) My other half works for a Swedish company and I have learnt two things from her soirees over there.

1) They love their metal.
2) They have really long summer holidays.

Obviously only one of those facts bothers us right now but in terms of comparison, Aztek Sun are perhaps mostly similar to those Backyard Babies. Indeed, in some ways they sound more like classic Backyard Babies than that band did itself on their last long player. Aztek Sun mix hard rock (naturally), metal, punk, a dash of G ‘n’R and some jolly fine songs to boot. 

The band is a quartet and consists of Magnus Moller who also answers to Mr Whattafuck (and Word didn’t like that at all!) He plays rhythm guitar and sings lead, Krille Ohlsson plays guitar, Dave de Lux is on bass duties whilst Brian Peterson is behind the drum kit. Together they have made a very fine CD called Brand New Breath and are in the process of trying to land a new deal. 

Wilted ‘n’ Died leads off Brand New Breath and the Backyard Babies comparisons kick in immediately but that’s not to suggest that this is some lame arse copy as this song, whilst being melodic, isn’t quite as poppy as the Babies can sometimes be. Payin’ Debts continues in a similar fashion and even invokes the Hellacopters whereas Force of Habit clocks in at under three minutes but has a punky attitude that is missing from so many chart orientated bands these days. 

It was round about now that I began to wonder if the southern part of Sweden had been twinned with Los Angeles and more and more I was thinking about Motley Crue, Skid Row etc but rather than turn to those bands I kept with Brand New Breath and if you like those bands, perhaps you should seek out Aztek Sun as well.

Contact: www.myspace.com/azteksun

Track Listing

Wilted N' Died
payin' Debts
Force Of habit
Soinkin' Stone
Cruel
Butterfly Wings
Break Down
Same Shit, Different Day
No More You
Brand New Breath
In Time
Twins

Line Up

Magnus Moller - Vocals/Guitars
Krille Ohlsson - Guitars
Dave de Lux - Bass
Brian Peterson - Drums