Bokassa - All Out Of Dreams (Album Review)
Bokassa – All Out Of Dreams
Released: February 16, 2024
Line Up
Jørn Kaarstad // Lead Vocals, Guitar
Bård Linga // Bass, Vocals
Olav Dowkes // Drums, Vocals
Online
Norwegian power trio Bokassa have been dubbed stoner punk, a musical oxymoron if there ever was one. But if you’ve heard their first two albums you know the moniker fits as they combined a punk attitude with fat riffs and a fair bit of hard rock swagger. While cheeky swagger was all over 2021’s Molotov Rocktail, they’ve leaned into their metal influence for new album All Out of Dreams. It’s a fairly serious record with more than a few shots aimed at world powers. They haven’t abandoned their principles though and LP 3 is a lean 10 tracks that runs just 33 minutes.
All Out Of Dreams gets straight down to rockin’. ‘The Ending Starts Today’ launches with the rattling snare drum kicking into a punk chug with frontman Jørn Kaarstad and drummer combining on the chorus vocals. What Bokassa does incredibly well is nail a hook, even with the bleak lyrics, you’ll quickly chant along with “The ending starts today”. For the first time the band brings in guests with NYHC legend Lou Koller (Sick of it All) adding his trademark rasp to ‘Garden of Heathen’, a song that celebrates blasphemy. Arguably the first couple of tracks are more punk in their aesthetic but there’s that unmissable stoner crunch to the riffs.
The riffs are really unleashed on ‘Straight Edgelord’. It’s slower and seriously groovy, It recalls some of their past satirical moments. Karstaad mocks straight edge conviction and fans who move from Terror to Kid Rock before including a gospel parody. It’s bonkers but pretty catchy. But in doing so it becomes the second song to feature the word “bawitaba” and I’m not sure I’m ok with that. The title track continues the theme though is a little more sympathetic to punk loners and those who feel their on the edge of mainstream society. It’s pretty dark but again the hook gets stuck in your head. And it starts with an 8-bit version of the riff.
Metalheads will dig ‘Bradford Death Squadron’, using the language of RPG/D&D to capture one of the most dangerous cities in England. It’s a supercharged Sabbath-style guitar riff. If you think trivialising violent crime as a game is something, get a load of how they depict MAGA Trumpians on the rollicking ‘Let’s Storm the Capitol’. With lines like “we’re not conceding, until they’re pleading…” and “I guess I’ll die for a cause I can’t remember”, they hit the fascist nerve that Dead Kennedys and their ilk targeted in the 1980s. Best line: “we’re self-made shoguns, mini-me Joe Rogans, born of spite.” They don’t suffer fools easily and in spite of their Norwegian background aren’t holding back on more worldly targets.
They also don’t repeat themselves each song, with the 45 second tune ‘Everyone Fails in the End’ leading into the slower stomp of ‘Gung-Ho’. It’s a terrific contrast between their fast punk and desert blues. The latter is a real headbanger with cool bass lines, which segues into the album’s best solo. The tempo picks up again with the furious ‘No More Good Days’, which is hardly as sentimental as the title suggests since it starts from the perspective of someone present at a mass shooting. It’s a great dose of speed in the Motörhead tradition. The variation continues on final track ‘Crush (All Heretics)’ which slows to a sludge crawl. Guitarist Kaarstad deserves credit for his use of melody that makes for a haunting tune. It’s got a cool vocal harmony too, proving that the band are more capable than just bashing out fuzzed out rockers.
Should you listen to All Out of Dreams? Absolutely. It’s a fresh musical approach that feels nostalgic but tackles real world issues with a sneer and snarl that is often missing from the broader metal scene. Bokassa have grown into a formidable outfit on their third record and remain one of the most underrated bands in heavy music.
Bokassa – All Out of Dreams TrackListing
- The Ending Starts Today
- Garden of Heathen
- Straight Edgelord
- All Out of Dreams
- Bradford Death Squadron
- Let’s Storm the Capitol
- Everyone Fails in the End
- Gung Ho
- No More Good Days
- Crush (All Heretics)
Rating: 8.5 / 10
All Out of Dreams is out February 16, 2024 on Indie Recordings. Pre-order here
Review by KJ Draven (Twitter X and Instagram).
