Straight away Span are hindered by a shit name and the fact that they’re from Norway. Let’s face it, the place isn’t exactly a hotbed of rock activity (unless you count those homicidal death metaller dudes) and in recent times has been more associated with bespectacled singer-songwriters claiming that quiet is the new loud (as if).
Throw in the fact that Span are self-confessed stadium rock wannabees and already it’s hard not to start thinking ‘fuck off’.
However, listen again and there is enough merit in the energetic power-chord rock of these ‘Nordic rock crusaders’ (their description) to make you refrain from putting them down as just another piece of spam in the already crowded inbox of retro-rock clichés.
Considerable weight is added to their mix of early Aerosmith, grunge and nu-metal riffs by producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters), and indeed ‘Don’t Think The Way They Do’ comes on like a less frenetic ‘Monkey Wrench’, while ‘Stay As You Are’ blasts along in similar amiable style.
Mostly though, the cliché handbook is out in force. ‘Peaceful’ starts out with an extended fragile bit before, surprise, a dirty big riff comes along to shit on top of it, while ‘Baby’s Come Back’ sounds like it’s attempting to be ‘Song 2’ on bad speed. Though plenty of the songs here do manage to at least moderately rock, it’s often with very little conviction or originality.
Likewise for lyrics about not conforming and pricking egos, while lines such as “She’s a goddess, her presence gives hungry dogs manners” leaves you thinking that something must definitely have been lost in translation.