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Albums Of The Week: Bokassa | Molotov Rocktail

The Norwegian stoner-punks’ third LP balances muscle, menace, melody & mirth.

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Trondheim, Norway, hard rock trio Bokassa have recently made a name for themselves with their brand of hard-hitting, melodic, catchy punk and stoner rock.

After the release of their debut album Divide & Conquer (2017), legendary drummer Lars Ulrich crowned them his “new favorite band” and invited them on Metallica’s Worldwired Tour. During the tour, the band released the critically acclaimed Crimson Riders (2019). On top of that, the Norwegians got nominated for the prestigious Spellemann Award as Breakthrough of the Year in 2020.

Bokassa are fully charged up and ready to set everything ablaze on their third album Molotov Rocktail, displaying their stoner-punk at its best on 11 powerful new songs. Vocalist and guitarist Jørn Kaarstad’s unmistakably raspy voice and crushing guitar riffs hit satisfyingly hard with the snappy drumming and fat bass tone of drummer Olav Dowkes and bassist Bård Linga. Songs like Herticules effortlessly pull off the transition between melodic choruses and punishing breakdowns, while the title track Molotov Rocktail is two minutes of pure stoner-punk paradise reminiscent of The Bronx, Red Fang, Billy Talent and Queens Of The Stone Age, with its dense songwriting and dynamic production. The intro riff to album closer Immortal Space Pirate 3: Too Old For This Sith, meanwhile, could be lifted straight off a classic Behemoth album.

Bokassa’s daring but cohesive tightrope act of singalongs and neckbreaking grooves on Molotov Rocktail is highly contagious. Mixed and mastered by Machine (Clutch, The Bronx, Every Time I Die), the powerhouse from Trondheim miss no chance to entrance the listener with every second of runtime!”