Reckless Love's 'Turborider' - Album Review

It does not seem like that long ago when a new release from a Scandinavian hair metal revival act was never too far away. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, this revival was in full swing - with most of the exciting bands recreating the famed Sunset Strip sound coming from either Finland or Sweden. It came at the perfect time for me. I had recently started to get into bands like Mötley Crüe and Poison, when a whole new scene really kicked off. Hair metal was always popular here in the UK, so a number of these Scandinavian bands made the effort to regularly tour here - and one of the standard bearers of the scene who often frequented the UK were Finland's Reckless Love. Whilst many of the newer hair metal bands emphasised the grittier end of the scene in both looks and sound, Reckless Love really doubled down on the poppier side and feelgood side of the genre. The band's self-titled debut album from 2010 is still, for me, one of the best hair metal albums in my catalogue - and that includes releases from all of the genre's classic bands. All of the songs on Reckless Love were really well crafted, and were a great mix of brazen hair metal riffing and soaring pop rock. The balance between the two was finely struck, and the album is probably a big reason why Reckless Love are still well liked. In my view, though, the band have never topped it. 2011's Animal Attraction came close, and probably includes a handful of the band's best tunes, but for me 2013's Spirit (which I reviewed here) was a big step down in quality. The standout tracks are still very enjoyable, but overall the album lacked the quality of the band's first two - and the drop off was noticeable. 2016's InVader (which I also reviewed here) was much better, however. I was worried that they might have run out of ideas, but I listened to InVader a lot in 2016 - and the band were excellent when I saw them in Wolverhampton that same year. It was an album that showcased that the band wanted to go in a bit of a different direction, though. It was still very much a hair metal album, but the balance was shifted significantly in the favour of a much poppier sound. Their were songs on InVader that barely qualified as rock at all, but I still found myself loving the album. The sounded suited Reckless Love, and I wondered if this was the direction that the band would take going forward. It would take us six years to find out, but when Reckless Love's fifth album Turborider was released last month it was very clear that I was right. Turborider takes the pop sound of InVader and turns it up to 11 - so much so that I am not sure that it can even be called a hair metal album. There are certainly moments of it, but on the whole Turborider is just a great pop album - which has shades of pop from both the 1980s and the present day. If the name Reckless Love was not on the album cover then I would have probably never listened to it, but I have been really enjoying Turborider despite its unashamed pop leanings. I feel like the band have been working towards this sound for a while, though, so it should not really come as much as a surprise - although anyone going into this album expecting to hear something like Reckless Love will be disappointed.

Despite the band's line-up remaining the same from their previous albums, there has been a change of producer this time - with Joonas Synthinen (Santa Cruz) taking the reins, as well as co-writing the majority of the songs with frontman Olli Herman and guitarist Pepe. As this is essentially a pop album, the dominant sounds throughout are Herman's voice and walls of synths. Pepe's guitar is still in the mix, however, and there are moments that sound like the Reckless Love of old - especially when he decided to solo. I would be surprised if drummer Hessu Maxx was ever invited to the studio to contribute to the album at all though - as the vast majority (if not all) of the drums here sound like they have been programmed. This fits with the overall vibe of the album, but it does add to the overall synthetic sound present here. The songwriting is often typical of Reckless Love's past, however. This is apparent from the off, and the title track starts the album in fine fashion. It is one of the hardest rocking pieces here, and it sounds like a bit of a bridge between old and new. A dancing synth line opens the song, before Pepe soon launches into a strident riff - which Herman screams over the top of. As if to remind everyone that he can play, Pepe lays down a shredded solo early on - before basically everything drops out to leave Herman to sing the verses against a pulsing synth backdrop. The song is one is grows in stature as it moves along, though. Pepe's riffs occasionally return to add some weight, whilst a lengthy pre-chorus adds effects-heavy vocal lines into the mix. The song's chorus is a winner too, and it takes on a much heavier vibe - and actually recalls some of the Reckless Love songs of old. It has a great vocal hook, and is probably one of the album's most instantly memorable moments. Another excellent guitar solo is the icing on the cake, and the song is an album highlight as a result. Eyes of a Maniac is much more overtly pop, but the song is a real earworm that is sure to stick in the brain after only a couple of listens. It is relatively low key arrangement-wise, with pulsing bass and synths accompanying Herman during a very modern-sounding verse - whilst clean guitar chords add depth. The chorus certainly rocks things up somewhat, as Pepe switches to a more distorted sound to add plenty of crunch. Again, the band's old sound is somewhat referenced here, but the poppy melodies still dominate. The song is very typical of the rest of the album, but still instantly sounds like Reckless Love - despite the shift in tone towards something much poppier. Outrun is similar, but it is much more upbeat and there is certainly a stronger hair metal vibe throughout. It sounds like something that could have appeared on Animal Attraction - although it would have likely been more guitar-heavy had it been released back in 2011. That being said, though, the song is still pretty guitar-focused. Pepe's simple riffs are ever-present throughout, but the synths still just about dominate sound-wise. There are plenty of 1980s-esque vibes this time too, as well as some great smooth guitar leads to close the song out in style.

Kids of the Arcade is similarly upbeat, but the guitars are toned down this time - at least during the early portions of the verses. The 1980s vibes are retained in a big way however, and the synths throughout have more of a proper 'keyboard' feel this time in contrast to the programming that tends to dominate the album. There are lots of synth leads here that could have come from a Survivor album, and when Pepe's guitar does kick in it helps to add a slightly heavier edge with his sharp tone. The song is very bouncy, and it is clearly made for being played live. The chorus will certainly go down well live with its upbeat, stabbing synths; whilst the guitar solo section will be a showcase for Pepe - with the added samples from Mortal Kombat being a nice touch. Up next is a cover of the classic Ozzy Osbourne track Bark at the Moon. It has always been one of my favourite Osbourne tracks, and it contains a number of great riffs from the great Jake E. Lee. Reckless Love's cover here is relatively faithful, but they have added a disco-esque beat throughout - as well as plenty of synths. The additions to the song work well, however, and a great balance is struck between honouring the original song and adapting it to fit in with the album's core sound. The grooves and synths are a nice addition, but the song's core elements remain untouched - including the riff that kicks in after a minute or so which is one of my favourite riffs of all time. This is easily the most guitar-focused song of the album unsurprisingly, and Pepe really shows off here. All of the riffs are nailed, and the multiple lengthy guitar solos are a great mix of melody and speed. I am not sure I needed to hear Reckless Love covering Bark at the Moon, but it works surprisingly well given the synthy update - and it is a fun addition to the album. Following the short instrumental piece Prelude (Flight of the Cobra), which is essentially a Pepe guitar workout, Like a Cobra returns to the album's core sound in a big way. Pulsing synths and punchy programmed drums back Herman throughout the verses, which he sings in a relatively low key manner, but the guitar does join the fray on occasion to add depth. It joins in full-time after the first chorus, too, and the song feels a little heavier from this point on. Overall the song is quite similar to Eyes of a Maniac, but perhaps heavier. There is certainly more of a guitar presence, including a great guitar solo that again brings out the best of Pepe, and the chorus is another winner. For the Love of Good Times is similar again, but there is a real smoothness to the track that is present from the off with Pepe's simple, yet soaring, guitar leads. There is something of an AOR vibe throughout the song, which is thanks to some synths that are a bit less busy than usual. This allows the song to feel a little more atmospheric, and focus more on Herman's vocal hooks. Even the chorus maintains this smoothness, with Pepe's gentle guitar backing, but there is still a great AOR groove throughout - which helps the vocal hooks during the chorus to be hugely infectious.

'89 Sparkle reminds me a little of Coconuts from Animal Attraction, as it has a similar overall vibe - with a bit of a back beat and a slight Caribbean edge. Jalle Verne's bass drives everything, and some of his basslines here are extremely funky. It is really his only time to feature properly in the spotlight throughout the album, but he makes it count with some of the best bass playing on any Reckless Love song to date. His playing continues at this level throughout the song, and Pepe's guitar is generally pushed into the background - adding choppy rhythms and the occasional melody. He does contribute another great guitar solo, though, which is very 1980s in tone - which is something of a contrast to the funky and somewhat calypso vibes of the rest of the track. Future Lover Boy is more typical of Reckless Love's core sound, however, and again it sounds like a track that could have appeared on Animal Attraction. The guitars are toned down compared to that album, but the overall hair metal vibes are much greater this time. It is an upbeat piece, and Herman's voice sounds a little less poppy here - at least during the verses. He sounds a little grittier during them, but the poppy overtones return for the choruses - which are extremely catchy. Picking a favourite chorus here is hard, as clearly a lot of effort has gone into making them very memorable, but this is another instantly-catchy one that will stick in the brain thanks to its upbeat pulsing beats and Herman's knack for a hook. The album then comes to a close with Prodigal Sons, which goes for a slightly heavier sound overall. Turborider opened the album with in relatively guitar-heavy fashion, and Prodigal Sons is somewhat similar - which bookends the album nicely. It is perhaps not as heavy, but there is something anthemic about the piece that makes it work really well as an album closer. There are quite a few different memorable guitar riffs throughout the song, however. It does feel like more of a showcase piece for Pepe, and there are lots of little fills here that allow him a chance to indulge in his melodic style. Throw in a stomping chorus and another busy guitar solo, too, and the song is another strong cut. It ends the album on a high, and shows a little of the band's older selves in and amongst the pop of much of the rest of the album. Despite the fact that Turborider barely even qualifies as a rock album at times, let alone a hair metal one, I have still been really enjoying it over the past month or so. Reckless Love have always been very poppy, and I think that it was wise of them to fully embrace this side of their sound. The hair metal revival is pretty much over now, but Reckless Love have found a way to reinvent themselves whilst still retaining enough of what made them popular in the first place. They will probably never make an album like Reckless Love again, but I would be happy hearing more in the vein of Turborider going forward. It is probably my favourite album that the band have done since Animal Attraction, and that takes into account the fact that I like InVader quite a lot too. Some will hate Turborider, but I love it - and I can see myself spinning it an awful lot this year.

The album was released on 25th March 2022 via AFM Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Turborider.