Review: Greenleaf ‘Revolution Rock Deluxe’
Regular readers of this site should really need no introduction to Greenleaf. The once fledgling side band from Tommi Holappa of seminal Euro stoner/desert rock royalty Dozer was formed at the tail end of the ‘90s ‘as an informal collective of friends making music inspired by their shared love of ’70s riff rock’.
Boasting an enviable lineup that would include producer Bengt Bäcke on bass, Karl Daniel Lidén (Demon Cleaner) on drums and vocalist Peder Bergtrand (Lowrider) alongside the guitarist, the project would grow over the years to the powerhouse band that has released a stunning catalogue of albums, including last year’s The Head & The Habit which saw them get back to their very best.
Despite multiple lineup changes and the stop/start nature of their output, Greenleaf has always retained a knowing reverence amongst aficionados. They have an ability to channel Holappa‘s molten riffs into hard-hitting, catchy and timeless tunes that defy their rotating cast to win over a rabid international audience.
Long before they morphed into a formal concern in 2013, they made their recording debut in the year 2000, with their eponymous EP being released via Molten Universe in a 500-copy limited run. They would swiftly follow this up with the full-length Revolution Rock less than a year later and to celebrate the 25th year of their existence, they have combined these first two releases into the Revolution Rock Deluxe package.
Released as a special, limited vinyl edition for Blues Funeral Recordings exclusive PostWax series, as well as a host of other shiny and tempting formats, this is the first opportunity for fans to get their hands on a vinyl copy with the original now as rare as the proverbial rocking horse excrement. For the collector, the PostWax series is ’a deluxe vinyl subscription series focused around heavy rock that presents nine releases in top-quality editions with unique art and design, hand-numbered packaging, 180gram multi-coloured vinyl, a limited PostWax patch and more’, the first of which being Revolution Rock Deluxe.
But to the music:
This new release sees the 2001 full-length up front, or rather the excellent remaster job from none other than Lidén himself, and whilst Bäcke handled the original production, it would be hard to argue there would be anyone better placed than Karl for the job.
The high-octane buzz of the guitars and the rumbling rhythm section of Vat 69 kickstarts the nine tracks of Revolution Rock with a bouncing groove complete with histrionic lead work. By this time, Dozer’s Fredrik Nordin had replaced Bergstrand on vocals which gives fans of Holappa’s day job some familiar foundations.
Trading between instrumental passages and ’songs’, the band definitively prove on their debut that they are a much more relaxed tribute to all manner of ‘70s rock, rather than the more obviously rooted pentatonic blues of Madre de Dos, which was released around the same time.
the band swings for the fence as the funky cymbal smash and murky bass work keeps up the gritty blues rock feel…
Devil Woman continues this rich, retro groove before the atmospheric effects of Status: Hallucinogenic, Phase II calls back to the self-titled EP as the album swings back and forth between rock ‘n’ roll swagger on tracks like You Got Me High with its cowbell-driven braggadocio, the careening riffing of Red Tab and the frenetic fretwork of Electric Ryder.
Elsewhere, the lazy blues and crooning vocals of Hexagram contrast with the funky instrumentalism of The Shipbuilder and the psychedelic fuzzed-out guitar of the closing track Monostereowhatever on an album that has a truckload of Black Sabbath influence but also tips its hat to the likes of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin as the band tried to distinguish themselves from Dozer.
Naturally, for the collector, the real gem lies in the last six tracks of the release with the out-of-print 2000 EP finally available again. It wastes little time in springing from the speakers showing the vibrant ‘70s love-in that inspired it with Get Your Love Outta Here, Bergstrand’s vocals are rougher around the edges than Nordin’s, and there is a feel of latter-day Jim Morrison’s hoary old bluesman that it adds to the vibe.
Sold My Lady (Out Of The Back Of An Oldsmobile) raises a wry smile at the title, even if the lyrics may not quite land as intended a quarter of a century later. The music is a choppy, high-energy boogie that is a full-on rock ‘n’ roll racket with gang-style vocals on the chorus, rattling percussive breakdown and heroic wah-abuse.
The EP is noticeably more brash than subsequent releases, which may have arisen from an initial desire to separate Greenleaf from Dozer, or maybe the inevitable side effect of the changing lineups and circumstances. Still, the band swings for the fence as the funky cymbal smash and murky bass work keeps up the gritty blues rock feel.
The B side is more expansive, with Smell The Green introducing a garbled, surreal ending after the crisp snap of the main refrain, and the comparatively sprawling Land Of Lincoln has a back-and-forth dynamic. Switching between wide open spaces and a rattling chorus before the spacey, sinister, creeping sounds of Status: Hallucinogenic ends on an atmosphere that is more acid trip and lava lamps than bong smoke.
Revolution Rock Deluxe is a pretty special release. Lovingly put together by the band along with Blues Funeral, whose founder Jadd Shickler, is a huge self-confessed fan of Holappa’s riffs. This is undeniably reflected in the presentation and the pride felt at being able to offer this new edition. Breathing new life into the baby steps of a band, which has endured multiple iterations and reinventions, to stand tall and stand out from the shadow of ‘that other band’. A band that rightly claims its own place in the conversation of legends, not just in the Euro stoner scene but globally.
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
