Helldorado Album Review

Some of you may have noticed that I have put a 'listening to' post on my sidebar. The plan is to update this with really, really good albums and then follow them up with a review. In this day of itunes music store downloads, there is (i think) too much music to be consumed as every aspiring artist with a decent computer and pro-tools gets in on the act. So, if you like the review and end up purchasing the product I would really appreciate any feedback. Also, I am keen for others to recommend me music that I should check out, and this includes classic albums from years gone by. I'm always looking for extra pieces of plastic to grace my turntable.

Artist: Helldorado
Title: The Ballad of Nora Lee
Label: Glitterhouse records


Norwegian contribution to world music has often been entrenched in the slightly bizarre and comical. Famous for an ignominious brand of death metal and often-hilarious Eurovision song entries, Helldorado could be the ticket to resurrect some Scandinavian respectability. Formed in 2001 in Stavanger, Norway, this four-piece defies categorisation and excels at it. All multi-instrumentalists, the performances captured here really showcase the talents of musicians with years of live experience.

Twelve songs of loss, losers and old Lucifer himself, The Ballad of Nora Lee is the long lost soundtrack to David Lynch’s ‘Wild at Heart’. Comparisons to film scores don’t end there. Helldorado have fattened their sound on Ennio Morricone spaghetti, the regurgitated mélange reeks of refried beans and corn chips. Helldorado’s interpretation of the sounds associated with the American West and the dodgy border territory just South of the Rio Grande is infectious.

In a nutshell, The Ballad of Nora Lee eloquently rocks. It infuses the subconscious with layers of guitars (both twangy and surfed up), harmonicas, trumpets, banjo and glockenspiel. Instrumentation chimes in unison with the fantastic vocal delivery of Dag S Vagle who really captures the best elements of the American accent, and a not bad Nick Cave impersonation either.

The album is littered with standout tracks, from the opening tale of dangerous liaisons in The Ballad of Nora Lee to the slide guitar and reeds blowing down the tumbleweed-strewn alleys of Guitar Noir. There is rarely a dull moment and surprises lie around every corner. The Mariachi trumpets serenade the intoxication on A Drinking Song and Rock Your Soul kicks the spurs into overdrive, inciting a bar room brawl. Final track Waiting around to die takes the prominent theme of death to a new epoch, built upon a haunting Chris Isaac –ish vocal. Helldorado ain’t a bad place to be.

Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed By: Mark Orton