Genre: Melodic
Rock
Label:
Lion Music
Playing time:
47:55
Band homepage:
House Of Shakira
Tracklist:
-
Retox
-
Small
Town
-
No Faith
-
Crazy
But No
Fool
-
Life And
Death
-
Gabon
Viper
-
High
Above
-
Red
Alert
-
Bloodline
-
Angel
Dancer
-
Turkish
Nights
|
|
|
My first taste
of HOUSE OF
SHAKIRA was when
I happened to
hear the Swedish
group’s
note-perfect
cover of
JOURNEY’s
“Separate Ways
(Worlds
Apart)”. My
first thought
was, “Great
Scott, these
guys are hella
talented.” For
some bizarre
reason, I forgot
to check out the
rest of the
band’s material,
but thankfully,
Fortune has
smiled upon me,
and HOUSE OF
SHAKIRA’s latest
album, “Retoxed”,
has found its
way into my
hands.
Let’s make one
thing clear from
the get-go:
“Retoxed” is one
stunning
album. From the
delicate piano
intro, “Retox”,
all the way to
the seven-minute
finale, “Turkish
Nights”, this
album is Melodic
Rock at its
finest. The band
manages to
strike a fine
balance between
catchy
JOURNEY-inspired
AOR and some
edgier VAN
HALEN-esque
stuff, and it
works
marvellously.
It goes without
saying that
every member of
HOUSE OF SHAKIRA
has an insane
amount of
talent. Drummer
Tony Andersson
lays down the
beat with
metronomic
precision,
guitarists Mats
HHallstensson
and Anders
Lundström throw
down lick after
lick, bassist
Per Schelander
delivers some
majestic
background
vocals (which is
ironic,
considering he
once lied about
being able to
sing so he could
join the band!)
and over top of
it all is
Andreas Eklund,
the man with the
golden voice. Seriously,
now that Jeff
Scott Soto has
left JOURNEY, I
think Eklund
should
capitalize on
that little
opportunity. He’s
got the perfect
voice, and as I
mentioned above,
the band’s cover
of “Separate
Ways” was
spectacular.
Then again, with
songwriting as
stellar as this,
who needs
JOURNEY? Just
listen to how
perfectly the
soft “Retox”
segues into the
upbeat and
rockin’ “Small
Town”. Just
listen to the
soaring vocal
harmonies in the
chorus of “Crazy
But No Fool”. Just
listen to the
wondrous
semi-acoustic
verses of “Red
Alert”. Damn,
I’m running out
of adjectives
here.
Fans of
super-catchy,
well-produced
Rock will love “Retoxed”. Fans
of JOURNEY will
absolutely adore
it. As stated
above, this is
Melodic Rock at
its finest, and
if you’re in the
mood for some
catchy, upbeat
music, then this
is certainly the
album you’re
looking for.
And Mr. Eklund,
I’m serious
about that
JOURNEY thing. Let
me know how that
works out.
(Online December
7, 2007) |
www.metal-observer.com
|
01. Retox
02. Small Town
03. No Faith
04. Crazy But No Fool
05. Life And Death
06. Gabon Viper
07. High Above
08. Red Alert
09. Bloodline
10. Angel Dancer
11. Turkish Nights
|
 |
Swedish
melodic rockers
House Of Shakira are
back
Retoxed
and ready to freshen up
the melodic rock scene
with their potent
trademark blend of lush
vocals and contagious
musical hooks. The bands
trademark melodies and
vocals lines are here
Retoxed
stronger than ever with
the music created to
support the vocals and
carry the lyrics to the
listener. Not just
content with working the
main vocal melody the
band have taken great
care to ensure the
background music and
vocal melodies are there
to support the band
trademark vocals, the
band call this the “Abba
inspiration”.
Well I can tell you that
“Abba” might be an
inspiration, but lucky
for us House of Shakira
doesn’t sound like Abba.
The band has written the
songs as a collective
unit as they have done
on their debut album
Lint.
After the short ballad
Retox
we are getting
Small Town
thrown in our AOR faces.
The first band I had to
think about when I heard
this song is Extreme,
especially the album
III sides to every story.
Although there is no
Nuno Bettencourt in
House of Shakira, the
musicians have reached a
high level after 10
years. The songs are
very catchy, they have
great melodies and
choirs and Andreas
Eklund has a voice that
reminds sometimes of
Tyketto’s Danny Vaughn
or Steve Perry
(Ex-Journey). Now we go
on with
No Faith
which does sound a
little bit like Fates
Warning at the time of
APSOG, especially the
beginning of the song.
Crazy But No Fool
is again a sing-a-long
song even as the
following
Life And Death.
Of course there is
another ballad on this
album called
Red Alert
and maybe you can put
the last song
Turkish Nights
also in that same window
called ‘easy listening
music’.
This album swings like a
woman’s tit (as we say
in Holland ! ). Good
songs, great melodies
and a great singer,
again from that country
called Sweden. So if you
like ‘Journey’,
‘Extreme’ or ‘Tyketto’
check out this new album
from
House of Shakira.
www.myspace.com/houseofshakira
|
Rating: 83 /100
www.digital-steel.com
|
House of
Shakira
–
Retoxed

2007
Lion
Music
An
excellent
mainstay
in
the
melodic
rock/metal
scene,
this
band
has
always
been
arena
ready
with
infectious
melodies,
hooks
and
finite
harmonies
that
make
Retoxed
another
feat
for
the
hard
rock
glory
that
House
of
Shakira
executes.
Highly
infused
with
a
Queen
influence,
the
musical
showmanship
of
Journey,
as
well
as
the
sonics
of
modern
day
troubadours
such
as
Line
of
Fire,
Extreme,
and
labelmates
Dogpound,
the
new
album
leans
towards
the
harder
driving/balls-to-the-wall
approach
rather
than
the
layered
synthesized
approach
that
we
also
know
and
love
so
much.
Retoxed
opens
up
with
the
Queen-ish
piano
intro
of
“Retox,”
which
is a
short
ballad
that
almost
hints
as
if
the
record
is
going
to
be
an
opera
of
sorts;
it
is
anything
but,
for
that
balladry
is
shattered
with
the
wall
of
the
opening
guitar
harmonies
of
“Small
Town,”
a
straight
ahead
anthemic
hard
rock/metal
tune,
which
packs
a
punch
–
whereas
you
have
other
cuts
continuing
this
hard
rock
endurance
with
“Crazy
But
No
Fool”
and
the
staccato
laden
“Bloodline;”
while
other
tracks
like
the
dark
“No
Faith,”
the
AOR
laden
“Angel
Dancer,”
and
the
power
ballad
“Turkish
Nights”
show
diversity
among
the
tunesmith
abilities.
With
all
of
the
right
elements
on
the
table;
the
heaviness,
catchiness,
solos,
&
even
classy
pop
sophistication,
House
of
Shakira
have
produced
another
profound
example
of a
modern
day
arena
rock
classic.
Added:
November
25th
2007
Reviewer:
Tommy
Hash
www.ytsejam.com
Score:
   
Related
Link:
House of
Shakira
website |
|
|

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA 'RETOX'
(LION MUSIC)
Swedish melodic rockers
HOUSE OF SHAKIRA make a
return with their 5th CD
release. Musically they
have always been making
Melodic Hardrock and
also their new CD
'Retox' follows that
style. Although it is
not THE melodic
hardrockalbum of the
year, it still is a high
quality original Melodic
Hardrockalbum that will
please the fans of
no-nonsense uptempo 80s
American inspired good
time rock and roll with
strong melodic choruses
in the style of DOKKEN,
HEAVEN'S EDGE, VYPER,
ICON and such.
Especially the beginning
with uptempo rockers
like "Small Town", "No
Faith", "Crazy But No
Fool" and "Life And
Death" and closing
ballad “Turkish Nights”
are showing the high
level of HOUSE OF
SHAKIRA's music. The CD
has a full-blown
production and therefore
fans of mentioned bands
should get it asap...
More info at:
www.houseofshakira.com
and
www.myspace.com/houseofshakira
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
Strutter magazine, Holland
House of Shakira
Retoxed Lion Music
Comments: It was in the mid 1980s that guitarist
Mats Halstensson, vocalist Anders Lundstrom and
original drummer Henrik Andreasson formed the
melodic rock band The Avenue. Even after a
relentless touring schedule and the release of a
demo, the band failed to generate label interest,
and the decision was made to move from their
northern Sweden roots to the capital city,
Stockholm. In 1989, the name was changed to The
Station, a few band members came and went, and after
the advise of a record exec the name was dropped and
a contest was held by a local radio station for a
fan to name the band. And thus the name House of
Shakira was born, named after what turned out to be
a bordello. In 1997, the band released their debut
CD, Lint, that introduced the world to their
towering vocals, hook laden guitar riffs and verses
that flowed into sweeping choruses. Subsequent
releases would include 1998’s On The Verge,
2000’s Three and 2004’s First Class.
Part Journey, part The Storm, part
Harem Scarem, part Hardline and all 100% pure
melodic rock, House of Shakira’s fifth studio
release, Retoxed, takes the listener back to
the age of bigger than life tracks with arena
filling rock anthems, ballads and hard rockers.
Vocalist Andreas Eklund ties each track together
with what is probably one of the strongest voices in
the melodic rock genre. Opening with the 1:12 intro,
“Retox,” which features his strong voice, clear and
passionate, with the standout of this ballad being a
fine piano accompaniment. The chopping piano chords
might have been better replaced with soft, soothing
keyboard arpeggios and to tie in the empty slots, an
acoustic guitar. But nevertheless a fine way to
allow “Retox” that runs full steam into the monster
sounding, “Small Town,” with a buildup of drums and
guitars on top of more guitars. At 20 seconds into
this melodic rocker, a strike of the hi-hat can be
heard and the tempo changes from melodic to an all
out rocker. This is signature House of Shakira with
Eklund’s voice taking this track to a place that
will be familiar to devotees of this group. It is
during the chorus that characteristic harmonic
voices are heard with a killer guitar solo that is
reminiscent of the great Neal Schon or Night
Ranger’s Brad Gillis. Track 3, “No Faith,” is the
CD’s highlight that opens with nasty, crunching
guitar chords.
Slowing down somewhat is the next
track, “Crazy But No Fool,” that will immediately
take the listener back to the Journey of the 1980s.
This is a feel good number that is well played and
indeed infectious. The harmonic vocals to track 5,
“Life and Death,” are inspiring, and well sung.
“Gabon Viper,” track 6 and track 7, “High Above,”
are heavier in its delivery with a more modern hard
rock attitude. But again, giving it its House of
Shakira mark are the vocals that come throughout
both these heavy-handed hitters. A delight was the
next track, “Red Alert,” with its simple delivery,
keeping a steady mid tempo feel throughout. The
drums were excellent, the acoustic guitar fitting,
and during the chorus came some of the tightest
harmonies that can be heard thus far. The revving of
a car engine is heard during the intro to,
“Bloodline,” that then faded into a hard rocker.
Some changes of tempo were heard during diverse
moments with varying degrees of success.
The grunge of Soundgarden or Pearl
Jam can be felt with “Angel Dancer,” that gave
bassist Per Schelander a chance to demonstrate his
talent. However this track was almost bothersome
with its many cadence changes and the vocals that at
times didn’t fit the flow. The heavy ballad,
“Turkish Nights,” with its many layers of vocals and
music closed out Retoxed. What makes this an
interesting track is just when one gets used to one
key and feeling, the band manages to pull a 180 and
change the vibe completely around.
Certainly what can be said, is
Retoxed changes tempos, feelings and attitudes
frequently throughout its almost 50 minute playing
time. All in all, the sound that has captured the
hearts of House of Shakira fans around the world is
there in droves. Retoxed delivers just what these
fans would expect from this great band.
Band Members
Andreas Eklund – vocals
Mats Hallstensson – guitars/vocals
Anders Lundstrom – guitars
Per Schelander – bass guitar/vocals
Tony Andersson – drums
Track listing:
Retox
Small Town
No Faith
Crazy But No Fool
Life and Deat
Gabon Viper
High Above
Red Alert
Bloodline
Angel Dancer
Turkish Nights
HRH rating: 8/10

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA ‘Retoxed’ Lion Music
(2007)
www.lionmusic.com
House of Shakira are once again back with their latest melodic
platter 'Retoxed'. I kind of missed the buzz that this band
created early on, but definitely caught on later to why there
was a buzz in the first place. This band puts their music
together with infectious melodies, great harmony vocals that are
also big in nature, and great hooks. Can't forget the hooks.
The latest album contains 11 tracks of pretty consistent AOR and
hard rock type stuff. As much as I have always loved very heavy
music, I have also found this type of music equally important
due to my taste for balance. The band capture your attention by
keeping things fairly consistent, but also adding in subtle
things such as a great guitar hook that may be heavier than the
rest of the album or maybe even a dreamy memorable melody or
tone. It's nice to have upbeat music as well with all of the
negativity you get in today's market. You can only take so much
of that before you want to have fun again, and that's what this
band is all about. There are similarities in their music to what
made the 80's so great for this style of rock. The band is still
churning it out in that style which is part of their appeal.
What I think stands out the most with this album is the vocals.
Not only the main vocals, but the bands harmonic vocals. In some
ways it's similar to something you would hear in classic Styx or
bands of that caliber. I love the way the album opens up. The
band offer up a short, very melodic vocal driven track that
drops right into the second song 'Small Town'. This second track
could have fit into and hard rock album of the late 80's. 'No
Faith' and 'Gabon Viper' showcase a bit of an edge in the
guitar sound. To me, 'High Above' is one of the most catchiest
tunes on the album. 'Red Alert' would make a great single due
to it's accessibility. 'Bloodline' is probably my favorite track
on the album. It combines some of the best vocal work with a
nice hard driving guitar sound. The band sound like they had a
good time writing and recording this record. You hear about
artists that write albums that reflect where they were at in
their life through the sound of the album. If for some reason
that was the case here, it would be safe to say this band was in
a good place. This is the type of album that is missing in the
domestic scene for the most part. Once in a while you will get a
Journey album or something along those lines. These types of
albums used to be commonplace. Sure would be nice to get back to
that era again. Nicely Another solid upbeat effort from these
Swedish melodic rockers. 'Retoxed' is fairly consistent through
the listen and is based in a melodic hard rock or AOR sound.
This album to me is pretty complete meaning no need to hit fast
forward to skip anything. It's good to hear an album come along
that represents having fun. This is one of those. The album
title is fitting. I am Retoxed on great melodic hard rock once
again!
review by
Dave Palmer www.heavymetalresource.com

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA ‘Retoxed’ Lion Music (2007)
www.lionmusic.com
House Of Shakira return
with their fifth studio album and one that marks ten years since
their classic debut album ‘Lint’ was released. The album title
comes from the band’s renewed energy and the fact that this
album, like ‘Lint’ sees the band writing together.
After the brief intro ‘Retox’,
‘Small Town’ rips in with a classic piece of HOS hard rock – big
melodies and guitars. Next up ‘No Faith’ is quite possibly one
of the heaviest tunes they have recorded so far, with the band
really putting the guitars to the fore yet not drowning out
their distinctive melodic vocal harmonies. Next up the song of
the album for me, the pop rock ‘Crazy But No Fool’ which stands
up to anything on ‘Lint’ which is no mean feat. ‘High Above’ and
‘Red Alert’ both see the band produce classy AOR/melodic rock
tunes with again the band’s attention to vocal melodies and
guitars shining through the music. ‘Bloodline’ is another good
song and sounding not unlike Queen in places! This is prime time
arena rock and one you just want to hear performed live. The
only real slow burner on here is ‘Turkish Nights’ which hints at
Journey and you could easily imagine Steve Perry singing this
one. Vocalist Andreas Eklund again puts in some wonderful vocal
performances throughout the album.
HOS have done it again,
another classy melodic rock album that will please long term
fans as well as hopefully pulling in some new ones, especially
as they have pushed the guitar sound up the mix to produce some
heavier songs. They never disappoint and this is their best
release since ‘Lint’.
****
Jason Ritchie
www.getreadytorock.com
|
|
HOUSE OF
SHAKIRA – Live At Firefest
2005 (DVD)
|
Sweden
|
August 2006
|
Wim
van Grunsven
www.mariosmetalmania.com |
| Style:
Melodic Rock
|
Running time:
Just over an hour. (Tracks:
10) |
|
I always look
forward to DVD's of bands
that have made good CD's,
but of whom you expect to
have just that little when
they play live. House Of
Shakira is such a band, and
they don't disappoint on
this DVD. Their kind of
Melodic Rock is very well
equipped to keep your
attention the whole time
long. Even live they know
how to sing together in
tone! What is very
surprising is that their
former singer Mikael
Eriksson is standing on the
stage with them. That's
something you don't see
often. The songs span their
whole career and give you a
good picture of what House
Of Shakira stands for: very
well played and sung Melodic
Rock. The music is catchy,
most of the time they play
fast and when needed they
know how to slow down
without getting boring. If
you want to be able to
swing, dance or headbang to
music, here's your chance.
Unfortunately the concert
only lasts 10 songs, and
that is way too short for
me. At that point I put my
attention to the extras. The
four videos you get to see
all stem from the time that
the band was still called
The Station, the time that
the already mentioned Mikael
was their singer. The other
extra is a very short, very
much summarized biography.
For a band that has been
together almost twenty years
they could have gone into
detail a lot more, as to
give you an insight to all
the things they have
experienced over the years.
They must have tons of
footage to use for just such
a cause. Alas, they don't,
and now you have learnt some
things about House Of
Shakira, but not nearly
enough. Thankfully they have
a real English woman telling
the story, so at least you
don't have to annoy yourself
over the awful dialects you
sometimes hear. All put
together I think this is a
very good DVD, but they
should have done a lot more
to make it really worth your
while. All together you just
have over an hour of
material, and for a first
major DVD release that is
way too short. That takes
ten points off my grade.
Only if they sell this for
the same price as a CD "Live
At Firefest 2005" will be
worth your money. Any more
and they will be
overcharging.
|
Visit their
website:
http://www.house-of-shakira.nu/
Promotion The Netherlands:
http://www.bertus.com/
Recordlabel:
http://www.lionmusic.com/
|
73/100
|

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA ‘Live at Firefest
2005’ (DVD 2006)
www.lionmusic.com
A double first with this DVD as
it marks the debut DVD release by
Lion Music and the first DVD by the
band. Recorded at last year’s UK
Firefest it sees the band cover
their whole career in an eleven song
set chock full of delights! Although
officially a five piece they have
their ‘secret’ sixth band member in
vocalist and lyricist Mikael
Eriksson, who ably backs lead
vocalist Andreas Eklund. Can the
band recreate their trademark
layered harmonies in a live setting?
Indeed they can as can be heard on
‘Method of Madness’ and ‘Hey Lord’ –
two bona fide melodic rock classics.
Super, tightly played set with some
cracking lead guitar solos in the
mix.
Bonus DVD features are a brief
biography of the band and interviews
with the band plus four videos from
the band’s early incarnation as the
Station. These videos should carry a
hairspray warning not only for the
band’s flowing locks but the
audience who have some cracking
mullets on show! Music wise you can
see the band’s love of harmonies and
‘Cinderella’ is the pick of the
bunch. An interesting look at the
band’s formative days.
If you like the band buy this DVD
as it is superb and for lovers of
melodic rock who have yet to try
this band try here as you get a good
cross section of their songs.
****1/2
Jason Ritchie

HOUSE OF
SHAKIRA 'Lint' LMC129
Lion Music (2005)
www.lionmusic.com
The debut album by House of
Shakira gets a welcome re-release by
Lion
Music and now with proper
distribution more people will get to
sample the
delights of this band. House of
Shakira have sadly always been
hindered by
record labels going bust and lack of
product in shops. As for the album
well
lets just say any fan of melodic
rock should have this little gem in
their
collection. What sets the band ahead
of many others in this genre is
their
mixing of hard rock with Eastern and
African music. It sounds like it
wouldn't work but just to listen to
opener 'Morning Over Morocco' that
kicks
in big time after a call to morning
prayers! 'Method Of Madness'
features
chunky riffing and glorious harmony
vocals come the chorus lien - a
classic
tune in anybody's book. Other
highlights include 'Elephant Gun'
and 'Canned
Laughter'. The only song I am
personally not overly keen on is
'Who's Lying
Now' that sounds too much like
Journey's 'Who's Crying Now' (one of
the
worst songs that excellent band ever
recorded). There are two bonus
tracks
as well with this re-release - 'On
The Green' is a satisfying mid-tempo
number but 'Heroes' is pretty
mediocre.
A wonderful album and well done
to Lion Music for getting this back
out.
Hopefully they van now release the
bands other two albums.
*****
Jason Ritchie
Reviews Editor
Get Ready To Rock!
www.getreadytorock.com

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA 'First Class'
LMC110 Lion Music (2004)
www.lionmusic.com
HOUSE OF SHAKIRA
First Class Lion Music LMC 110 Yet
another highly promising young band
who seem to have been beset by more
than their fair share of problems,
Sweden’s House Of Shakira debuted as
long ago as 1997 with the hugely
infectious ‘Lint’ album. A fine
selection of sassy, hook laden AOR,
it won them much needed exposure in
the European music press, and a
prestigious opening slot with Royal
Hunt on the German and Swedish legs
of their ‘Paradox’ tour. Everything
culminated in a fantastic appearance
at that year’s Gods event in Wigan –
who could forget their blistering
run through of Journey’s ‘Separate
Ways’? – a bright future seemingly
assured. Sadly, disaster was about
to strike. Just as their much
anticipated sophomore release ‘On
The Verge’ was about to hit the
shops, news began to filter through
that their then record company
Bluestone Music, had gone to the
wall. Without vital industry
support, the band floundered, all
the precious momentum gained with
‘Lint’ grinding to a shuddering halt
as they were faced with the prospect
of starting all over again with yet
another record company. Undeterred
by this setback, House Of Shakira
set about writing fresh material, a
new deal eventually being struck
with Germany’s MTM for the 2000
release ‘House Of Shakira III’. By
now however the world had moved on,
and the tougher sound of their
latest album drew a rather more
philosophical mixed response. A
limited edition, self financed live
affair followed in the fall of 2001,
but this too did little to reignite
the flame. And so to 2004 and yet
another new recording contract, this
time with up and coming Finnish
label Lion Music. Whilst both ‘On
The Verge’ and ‘III’ had their
moments, neither managed to eclipse
the joyous exuberance of the debut.
However, the band had moved on from
their Journeyesque roots into
slightly earthier hard rock
territory, and that has continued
apace with their latest effort
‘First Class’. Yes there are still
recognisable elements of the band
who recorded ‘Lint’ – Andreas
Eklund’s resonating vocals
especially – but that was then, this
is now. One thing that did become
readily apparent as I perused this
disc for the first time was that
House Of Shakira seem to have curbed
some of their more audacious
tendencies, the result being a much
straighter, stylistically less
adventurous album than before. That
said, this time around they seem to
have concentrated their efforts into
the core songwriting processes,
fortunately resulting in the
strongest batch of songs put out
under the House Of Shakira banner
since ‘Lint’. Finely balanced,
‘First Class’ offers the listener
plenty of light and shade; moody,
acoustic driven tracks like ‘Black
And Blue Skies’ with it’s ‘Led Zep
III’ kind of vibe, rubbing shoulders
with punchier, raw edged cuts like
the pulsating ‘Creep’. Talking of
Zeppelin, the album is littered with
similar inflections throughout if
you delve below the surface, my own
personal favourite being the
somewhat eclectic ‘Sunshine Song’ …
hmmm, sure there’s a pun in there if
I look hard enough! But as I said,
the biggest plus point this time
around is the consistency in
writing, and after just a couple of
spins, numbers as diverse as ‘Ain’t
Your Crowd’, ‘You Are’, ‘Chicago
Blue’, and ‘State Of Grace’ become
familiar old friends. A long overdue
return to form.
8/10 Dave Cockett Hard RoxX Magazine
ALBUM
OF THE MONTH:
July:
HOUSE OF
SHAKIRA - First Class

The Swedish band
House Of Shakira started out
in Stockholm around 1991. Their
debut, Lint, was released in
1997 and was nominated by a lot of
magazines and the specialized press
as best debut album. It also ranked
high
on many top ten lists in 97. They
also went on tour through Europe
together with Royal Hunt. In England
they were
invited to play at The Gods
Festival. With the second release,
On The Verge, big plans were
made, but their record
company disappeared and went down
just in time for the release. In
year 2000 the band signed a deal
with MTM
Music and they released House Of
Shakira III. With great reviews
and some support from radio stations
in
Sweden, it led the band to play at
Sweden Rock Festival in 2001. This
live concert was recorded and
released as
Live+. House Of Shakira
also in 2001 went to Spain to play
at Nemelrock festival together with
Dare and Harem
Scarem. After ten years the band
took a break in 2002, but they have
now returned with First Class,
stronger than ever!
I have followed
House Of Shakira from the
beginning and listened a lot to
their releases through the years. It
has
always been something special with
House Of Shakira`s music,
that you don`t find with many other
bands. They
have a unique way to write songs
who, in my opinion, goes a bit
deeper into your soul than songs
from many other
bands. Their music is a mix of
Melodic Rock, Hard Rock and AOR, and
with First Class they prove
they are in
the elite of these bands today.
Vocalist Andreas Eklund is
one of my personal favorite singers
in the music scene
today, and I think his voice is
better than ever on First Class.
Guitarist, keyboardist Anders
Lundström and
guitarist Mats Hallstensson
is without a doubt two very good
skilled guitarists with a big
specter of nice solos
and riffs. The rhythm section with
bassplayer Per Schelander and
drummer Tony Andersson sounds
very tight
and precise. First Class is
my most played album the last month
and the more I listen to it the
stronger it gets each
time I hear it. It has taken me a
bit more time to be familiar with
First Class than their other
albums. Their music
takes a step away from the masses of
Melodic Rock and Melodic Hard Rock
and AOR bands and what I think is
the strongest with their songs, is
their way of taking some
untraditional directions here and
there and mix it into their
fantastic songs. When it comes to
the songs, who are all very strong,
I can tell you immediately that you
will be
entertained by no fillers, just
killer songs from the first note
till the end. With the opener,
Ain´t Your Crowd, they
easily take your attention and
already on this song you will hear
what I mean with different elements
and that the band
definitely has their own style who
is very interesting to listen to.
The twelve songs are filled with
strong melodies, nice
choruses and technical elements from
the whole band, who take this album
directly to the top of releases in
this genre
this year. I have, after listening
at least twenty times lately to
First Class, got some favorite
songs like Uncontrolled,
You Are, Black And Blue Skies,
Creep, Black Barn, State Of
Grace, Celebration Bound and the
beautiful
acoustic ballad Chicago Blue.
The best album from House Of
Shakira so far in my opinion,
and if you haven`t
heard this superb Swedish melodic
masters yet I think it`s time to do
it NOW!
http://www.house-of-shakira.nu/
http://www.lionmusic.com/
House Of
Shakira are:
Andreas Eklund
- lead vocals
Anders Lundström - guitar/keyboard
Mats Hallstensson - guitar/vocals
Per Schelander - bass/vocals
Tony Andersson - drums
www.melodichardrocktoday.tk

House
of Shakira: First Class
If you’re going to
call your album First Class, the
music better live up to the billing.
In the case of the fourth studio
disc from Sweden’s oddly named House
of Shakira, the first couple songs
(“Ain’t Your Crowd” and
“Uncontrolled”) don’t fulfill the
album title’s promise. But then, lo
and behold, the quintet give us the
ultra-melodic and unbelievably
catchy “You Are,” followed by the
mid-tempo rocker “Hey Lord,” the
dramatic, big-sounding acoustic
ballad “Black and Blue Skies,” the
dark-yet-soaring “Creep” and the
harmony-laden “Black Barn.” All
told, all but only a handful of the
12 tunes on First Class elicit a
sense of aural pleasure that
satisfies without going over the
top.
In fact, subtlety
reigns on First Class, as the band
eschews the Middle-Eastern effects
of 1997’s debut Lint and the
experimental tendencies of 2000’s
III. One reason these songs stand
out — and the reason why House of
Shakira has never made a boring
album — is vocalist Andreas Eklund,
who sings in a voice all his own and
one that can best be described as a
hybrid of Steve Walsh and Steve
Perry. Another reason is the band’s
refusal to musically stand still,
creating exhilarating hooks over a
variety of arrangements and managing
to sound both organic and cohesive.
The fact that a band can make music
this enlightening after 13 years
together, with more shattered record
deals than record releases, speaks
volumes about House of Shakira’s
dedication to its craft.
People who mock
so-called AOR and melodic hard rock
for lacking substance and adventure
need to hear First Class — or any
House of Shakira album, for that
matter. Solid musicianship (lead
guitarist Mats Hallstensson could go
fret-for-fret with Eddie Van Halen),
honest lyrics (“So goodbye my lovely
friends, chasing the black and blue
skies/Hope we never meet again”),
and inexplicable quirks (“A creepy
crawler, on a creepy crawling
crawl”) give House of Shakira the
all-too-uncommon opportunity to
refresh a tired genre.
Track Listing:
1) Ain’t Your Crowd (3:36)
2) Uncontrolled (2:34)
3) You Are (4:43)
4) Hey Lord (3:43)
5) Black and Blue Skies (5:07)
6) Creep (3:59)
7) Black Barn (4:57)
8) State of Grace (3:53)
9) Landing (4:28)
10) Celebration Bound (4:17)
11) Sunshine Song (6:15)
12) Chicago Blues (4:45)
Total Time: 52:22
Added: June 29th
2004
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
  
www.seaoftranquility.org
House Of Shakira - First Class
Lion Music
file under
Hardrock/AOR
Eddy:
Many years ago my wife and I went to
a performance of Royal Hunt (their
classic line up including DC Cooper)
in Bochum, Germany. Opening for
these Danish guys were another
Scandinavian band called House Of
Shakira. They were rather boring to
see and the only time they impressed
the crowd was when they decided to
play something recognizable,
'Separate Ways' from Journey. So
after that I totally forgot about
that band. Till now, because their
newest album landed on my desk. They
have called it 'First Class' and
first thing I notice that they have
grown and are able now to create
some fine tunes on their own.
One of the best tracks on this piece
is the one they start with. 'Ain't
Your Crowd' is it called and is like
a fine American stadium rocker. I
really like this strong sing a long
song; it's catchy and well brought
by these Swedish guys. They proceed
with another good rock 'n roller
called 'Uncontrolled'. You can't
keep your head still, the rhythm
works infectious. A fine guitar solo
completes this tune. Kind of Journey
like they continue with 'You Are'.
'Hey Lord' is only liked for the
great harmony singing and a great
guitar solo. Rest of this song is to
thirteen in a dozen to me. 'Black
And Blue Skies' is totally acoustic
and proofs to be a great calm break
on this album. The next song is
'Creep' and has an awesome intro
filled with great sounding guitars.
I just love the solo leading this
tune in. I think this would be one
of the highlights on this album.
'Black Barn' sounds a bit like
'Because The Night' from Patti Smith
in the beginning. A song with again
some fine harmony vocals and just an
awesome guitar solo. This way of
soloing reminds me a lot of the
relaxed style we know from Mark
Kendall from Great White. This is
another fine highlight on this
album. 'State Of Grace' is a happy
tune that could easily get you out
of a dip. 'Landing' is a song that
makes you think of the music from
Extreme. This one is nothing
special. Following that song is
'Celebration Bound' starts of kind
of Guns 'n Roses like and than turns
out to be great aor. 'Sunshine Song'
is a fine piece of composing. There
is a lot happening musically in this
song. Surely the most interesting
and exciting song on this album. The
last song on this excellent album is
called 'Chicago Blues'. A delicious
sounding ballad, proving that this
band has really has found his home.
Score: 85/100
www.lordsofmetal.nl
|
REVIEWS: |
Genre: Melodic Rock
Label: Lion Music
Playing time: 47:55
Band homepage: House Of Shakira
Tracklist:
-
Retox
-
Small Town
-
No Faith
-
Crazy But No Fool
-
Life And Death
-
Gabon Viper
-
High Above
-
Red Alert
-
Bloodline
-
Angel Dancer
-
Turkish Nights
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My first taste of HOUSE OF SHAKIRA was when I happened to hear the Swedish group’s note-perfect cover of JOURNEY’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”. My first thought was, “Great Scott, these guys are hella talented.” For some bizarre reason, I forgot to check out the rest of the band’s material, but thankfully, Fortune has smiled upon me, and HOUSE OF SHAKIRA’s latest album, “Retoxed”, has found its way into my hands.
Let’s make one thing clear from the get-go: “Retoxed” is one stunning album. From the delicate piano intro, “Retox”, all the way to the seven-minute finale, “Turkish Nights”, this album is Melodic Rock at its finest. The band manages to strike a fine balance between catchy JOURNEY-inspired AOR and some edgier VAN HALEN-esque stuff, and it works marvellously.
It goes without saying that every member of HOUSE OF SHAKIRA has an insane amount of talent. Drummer Tony Andersson lays down the beat with metronomic precision, guitarists Mats HHallstensson and Anders Lundström throw down lick after lick, bassist Per Schelander delivers some majestic background vocals (which is ironic, considering he once lied about being able to sing so he could join the band!) and over top of it all is Andreas Eklund, the man with the golden voice. Seriously, now that Jeff Scott Soto has left JOURNEY, I think Eklund should capitalize on that little opportunity. He’s got the perfect voice, and as I mentioned above, the band’s cover of “Separate Ways” was spectacular.
Then again, with songwriting as stellar as this, who needs JOURNEY? Just listen to how perfectly the soft “Retox” segues into the upbeat and rockin’ “Small Town”. Just listen to the soaring vocal harmonies in the chorus of “Crazy But No Fool”. Just listen to the wondrous semi-acoustic verses of “Red Alert”. Damn, I’m running out of adjectives here.
Fans of super-catchy, well-produced Rock will love “Retoxed”. Fans of JOURNEY will absolutely adore it. As stated above, this is Melodic Rock at its finest, and if you’re in the mood for some catchy, upbeat music, then this is certainly the album you’re looking for. And Mr. Eklund, I’m serious about that JOURNEY thing. Let me know how that works out.
(Online December 7, 2007) |
www.metal-observer.com
|
01. Retox
02. Small Town
03. No Faith
04. Crazy But No Fool
05. Life And Death
06. Gabon Viper
07. High Above
08. Red Alert
09. Bloodline
10. Angel Dancer
11. Turkish Nights
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Swedish melodic rockers House Of Shakira are back Retoxed and ready to freshen up the melodic rock scene with their potent trademark blend of lush vocals and contagious musical hooks. The bands trademark melodies and vocals lines are here
Retoxed
stronger than ever with the music created to support the vocals and carry the lyrics to the listener. Not just content with working the main vocal melody the band have taken great care to ensure the background music and vocal melodies are there to support the band trademark vocals, the band call this the “Abba inspiration”.
Well I can tell you that “Abba” might be an inspiration, but lucky for us House of Shakira doesn’t sound like Abba. The band has written the songs as a collective unit as they have done on their debut album Lint. After the short ballad Retox we are getting Small Town thrown in our AOR faces. The first band I had to think about when I heard this song is Extreme, especially the album III sides to every story. Although there is no Nuno Bettencourt in House of Shakira, the musicians have reached a high level after 10 years. The songs are very catchy, they have great melodies and choirs and Andreas Eklund has a voice that reminds sometimes of Tyketto’s Danny Vaughn or Steve Perry (Ex-Journey). Now we go on with No Faith which does sound a little bit like Fates Warning at the time of APSOG, especially the beginning of the song. Crazy But No Fool is again a sing-a-long song even as the following Life And Death. Of course there is another ballad on this album called Red Alert and maybe you can put the last song Turkish Nights also in that same window called ‘easy listening music’.
This album swings like a woman’s tit (as we say in Holland ! ). Good songs, great melodies and a great singer, again from that country called Sweden. So if you like ‘Journey’, ‘Extreme’ or ‘Tyketto’ check out this new album from House of Shakira.
www.myspace.com/houseofshakira
|
Rating: 83 /100 www.digital-steel.com |
House of Shakira – Retoxed

2007 Lion Music
An excellent mainstay in the melodic rock/metal scene, this band has always been arena ready with infectious melodies, hooks and finite harmonies that make Retoxed another feat for the hard rock glory that House of Shakira executes. Highly infused with a Queen influence, the musical showmanship of Journey, as well as the sonics of modern day troubadours such as Line of Fire, Extreme, and labelmates Dogpound, the new album leans towards the harder driving/balls-to-the-wall approach rather than the layered synthesized approach that we also know and love so much.
Retoxed opens up with the Queen-ish piano intro of “Retox,” which is a short ballad that almost hints as if the record is going to be an opera of sorts; it is anything but, for that balladry is shattered with the wall of the opening guitar harmonies of “Small Town,” a straight ahead anthemic hard rock/metal tune, which packs a punch – whereas you have other cuts continuing this hard rock endurance with “Crazy But No Fool” and the staccato laden “Bloodline;” while other tracks like the dark “No Faith,” the AOR laden “Angel Dancer,” and the power ballad “Turkish Nights” show diversity among the tunesmith abilities.
With all of the right elements on the table; the heaviness, catchiness, solos, & even classy pop sophistication, House of Shakira have produced another profound example of a modern day arena rock classic.
Added: November 25th 2007
Reviewer: Tommy Hash www.ytsejam.com
Score:    
Related Link: House of Shakira website |
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HOUSE OF SHAKIRA 'RETOX' (LION MUSIC)
Swedish melodic rockers HOUSE OF SHAKIRA make a return with their 5th CD release. Musically they have always been making Melodic Hardrock and also their new CD 'Retox' follows that style. Although it is not THE melodic hardrockalbum of the year, it still is a high quality original Melodic Hardrockalbum that will please the fans of no-nonsense uptempo 80s American inspired good time rock and roll with strong melodic choruses in the style of DOKKEN, HEAVEN'S EDGE, VYPER, ICON and such. Especially the beginning with uptempo rockers like "Small Town", "No Faith", "Crazy But No Fool" and "Life And Death" and closing ballad “Turkish Nights” are showing the high level of HOUSE OF SHAKIRA's music. The CD has a full-blown production and therefore fans of mentioned bands should get it asap... More info at: www.houseofshakira.com and www.myspace.com/houseofshakira
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Strutter magazine, Holland
House of Shakira
Retoxed Lion Music
Comments:
It was
in the
mid
1980s
that
guitarist
Mats
Halstensson,
vocalist
Anders
Lundstrom
and
original
drummer
Henrik
Andreasson
formed
the
melodic
rock
band The
Avenue.
Even
after a
relentless
touring
schedule
and the
release
of a
demo,
the band
failed
to
generate
label
interest,
and the
decision
was made
to move
from
their
northern
Sweden
roots to
the
capital
city,
Stockholm.
In 1989,
the name
was
changed
to The
Station,
a few
band
members
came and
went,
and
after
the
advise
of a
record
exec the
name was
dropped
and a
contest
was held
by a
local
radio
station
for a
fan to
name the
band.
And thus
the name
House of
Shakira
was
born,
named
after
what
turned
out to
be a
bordello.
In 1997,
the band
released
their
debut
CD,
Lint,
that
introduced
the
world to
their
towering
vocals,
hook
laden
guitar
riffs
and
verses
that
flowed
into
sweeping
choruses.
Subsequent
releases
would
include
1998’s
On
The
Verge,
2000’s
Three
and
2004’s
First
Class.
Part
Journey,
part The
Storm,
part
Harem
Scarem,
part
Hardline
and all
100%
pure
melodic
rock,
House of
Shakira’s
fifth
studio
release,
Retoxed,
takes
the
listener
back to
the age
of
bigger
than
life
tracks
with
arena
filling
rock
anthems,
ballads
and hard
rockers.
Vocalist
Andreas
Eklund
ties
each
track
together
with
what is
probably
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