CASABLANCA - Apocalyptic Youth (2012)

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“Apocalyptic Youth” is the debut album of the new Swedish/American act
CASABLANCA, featuring well known members guitarist Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper, Electric Angels) and drummer Josephine Forsman (Sahara Hotnights), together with bass player Mats Rubarth (Swedish national team football star), guitarist Erik Stenemo (Melody Club) and the charismatic lead singer Anders Ljung on vocals (Space Age Baby Jane).

The band started sometime in 2010 releasing two singles so far (“Dowtown” and “Love and Desperation”) while they have opened for Kiss on their last tour in Sweden.
“Apocalyptic Youth” is a fun, energetic, lighthearted album. Not lighthearted in a poppy way but in its overall vibe and approach. Summertime rock, if you will.
Despite an album title that sounds better suited to a Norwegian black metal band, there is nothing dark or dangerous about this release. The sonic characteristics are wide open, the guitars and drums given ample room to breathe and allow the melodies to dominate rather than focus on overt aggression.
Casablanca want to rock you, but they don’t feel the need to rock your face off.
In keeping with the band’s mature sound, the guitar tone is warm and smooth, with rich, earthy textures. Ryan Roxie is not what you would call a shredder, but he has talent to spare, even if that talent does not manifest itself in flash and sizzle.
The drummer is female, a rarity in the rock realm, and Josephine Forsman’s authoritative skin-pounding perfectly complements Roxie’s six-string skills and emphatically proves that a drum kit is not exclusively masculine domain.

The disc kicks off with the title track "Apocalyptic Youth" and it’s certainly a good start. I can already see the audience as a wild and crazy bunch when it is presented.
"Deliberatley Wasted" is song number two, a high octane rocker that opens with a superlative hook and then the chorus takes that hook and makes it explode, powered by gang backing vocals into a powerhouse anthem.
The first single "Downtown" has a multi-part opening harmony very reminiscent of the post power pop scene, a cool blending of acoustic guitars and electric guitar.
Elsewhere, "Love and Desperation" comfortably rides along on some catchy, pulsing rhythms, "Beast of Summer" channels the breezy mid-tempo excellence of prime Bon Jovi, and "Secret Agents of Lust" reeks so much of the ‘80s that you’ll be digging your parachute pants and pastel shirts out of the closet while cranking up the Miami Vice soundtrack on cassette.
On many tracks Casablanca fill this album with a bevy of guitar parts that instantly connect with the ears of all melodic hard rock followers of the eighties arena rock, as heard on "Rich Girl" which features some twin Erik Stenemo / Ryan Roxie guitar harmonies in a Blue Oyster Cult meets Thin Lizzy manner or the ode to all things America "Last Of The Rockstars".


It would have been enticingly easy for Casablanca to simply take the 'monkey see, monkey do' route and copy the Swedish sleaze/glam sound being exported from that country on a regular basis.
Instead, they have crafted their own sound that is pure melodic, ‘80s-influenced melodic hard rock but without strict adherence to preconceived formulas. Before anyone gets the wrong impression, while Casablanca might go slightly against the grain, they do so without ruffling the feathers of melodic rock fans.
This is not an avant-garde album or eclectic exercise in experimentation; this is a melodic hard rock release with all the requisite bells and whistles, but with a unique edge that Casablanca can rightfully call their own.
"Apocalyptic Youth" was recorded in the legendary Swedish Polar Studios, produced by Chris Laney (H.E.A.T, Europe, Crazy Lixx) who has provided a glistening sound with clear sharpness.
One of the top debut albums of 2012 for sure.


01 - Apocalyptic Youth
02 - Deliberately Wasted
03 - Downtown
04 - The Juggler
05 - Rich Girl
06 - Love and Desperation
07 - Secret Agents of Lust
08 - Beast of Summer
09 - Last of the Rockstars
10 - A Lifetime on the Run


Anders Ljung – Vocals
Ryan Roxie – Guitars
Erik Stenemo – Guitars
Mats Rubarth – Bass
Josephine Forsman – Drums



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www.amazon.com/Apocalyptic-Youth-Casablanca/dp/B006L3RZ2G