Hysteria: ‘Back To The Oldschool’
HYSTERIA
BACK TO THE OLDSCHOOL
Released on October 27, 2017 (Hysteria)
Review:
With more and more newer bands paying tribute to the ’80s with their look and sound, it was only a matter of time before a group called itself Hysteria. For anyone familiar with Def Leppard, which I assume includes anyone reading anything from this website, the word Hysteria must surely equate to Def Leppard‘s second blockbuster Diamond certified album. So calling your band Hysteria will likely mean the new group’s target audience will already know what it’s about. I like it but hopefully, this doesn’t spark a whole bunch of new band names based on album titles…
Although you might think that Hysteria will sound like Def Leppard due to their band name and the fact that their debut EP is called Back To The Oldschool, there really isn’t much Def Leppard influences to be heard on the EP. There are however some ’80s influences for sure. It starts off with a very AC/DC (think Fly On The Wall era for the more polished sound) intro to the opening track “Heartwall” and even the second track “Devil’s Little Helper.” You have a very Ace Frehley like sounding guitar solo on “Dead Man’s Walking” as well as some mid-tempo Iron Maiden like guitar melodies (I would say Fear Of The Dark era which I know is in the early ’90s) on that same track. You have the obligatory faster paced ballad in “Groupie #1.” You have an opening guitar riff that could have easily been on a Tora Tora album during the song “Overloaded.” Yes, Hysteria draw from many ’80s era influences but you almost expect it from their debut EP title.
As is the case with many groups coming from outside North America — in this case from Switzerland — that can expertly play the ’80s styled hard rock and heavy metal music, it’s the vocals that make or break the album. In Hysteria‘s case, their lead vocalist Tom Hoochy Coo‘s (his band name is on the cheesy side) singing defines the songs and quickly eliminates any ’80s influences that you might hear if only listening to the music. I can’t say that I am crazy about Hoochy Coo‘s singing. It’s “alright” and unfortunately takes away more than it adds to the very good music and melodies provided by his bandmates. In fact, I like the parts of the songs where Hoochy Coo is not singing more than when he is singing. That pretty much sums up the EP right there. Kudos to the two guitarists Arni and Luca who deliver some melodic and very enjoyable guitar solos on most if not all of the songs.
The two tracks that I find below average are the two slower ones — “Groupie #1” and “River Of Whisky.” They’re not bad but are not at the same level as the other four. In conclusion, it seems almost unfair to Hoochy Coo but I would be interested to hear the songs with a more powerful and better singer.
Track List:
01. Heartwall
02. Devil’s Little Helper
03. Dead Man’s Walking
04. Groupie #1
05. Overloaded
06. River Of Whisky
Band Members:
Tom Hoochy Coo – lead vocals
Arni – guitar, backing vocals
Manu – bass, backing vocals
Luca – guitar, backing vocals
Mäse – drums
Production:
Recorded and produced by Mack
Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, December 2017
Hysteria‘s “Devil’s Little Helper” song:
Hysteria – Devil’s little helper
Hysteria – Devil’s little helperHard-/Melodic-Rock from Switzerland!From our EP: Back to the Oldschool!Available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and other pl…
Hysteria‘s “Overloaded” song:
Hysteria – Overloaded
Hysteria – OverloadedHard-/Melodic-Rock from Switzerland!From our EP: Back to the Oldschool!Available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and other platforms!Joi…