This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
They’ve got one of the coolest band names in rock. They look like The Stooges fronted by Marky Ramone. And naturally, they’re from Scandinavia — Finland, to be exact.
With all that going for them, you just know The Flaming Sideburns are either gonna be A) The latest greatest garage-rock band to take over the scene; or B) An incredibly disappointing waste of time, space and oxygen. I am happy to report that the answer — at least as it applies to Save Rock ’n’ Roll (originally titled Hallelujah Rock ’n’ Rollah), their third album and debut North American release — is A all the way, baby. Following in the footsteps of forebears like The Hives, Hellacopters and Gluecifer, the quintet strip-mine the classic rock of the past — the choogling blooz-rawk of The MC5, the proto-punk grit of Iggy and co. and even the late ’60s guitar-crunch of The Rolling Stones — and inject some present-day punk attitude to create a sound that’s ready to take on the future. From the Search and Destroy surge of opener Loose My Soul to the fuzzed-out go-go wallop of Blow The Roof to the power-chord metallic K.O. of World Domination, The Flaming Sideburns kick out the jams with enough raw power to make you believe they just might do what their album title says.
