Swedish four piece rock band, Drools, have just released their debut single, Fools In Hell, and we’ve been taking a listen here at the Send Me Your Ears Studio.
For a debut single, this is impressive work. Some exceptionally tight playing of four guys who clearly meld together very well. We couldn’t glean a great deal from their biography but it looks as thought they’ve been playing together off and on for quite some time. Two of them are perhaps brothers? It shows. This is a tight outfit.
Fools In Hell starts with a really tight, exciting riff on electric guitars. One that remains a motif throughout the song. As the intro builds, more instrumentation is added, and at one point there’s a super- funky section of guitar riff and toms.
The all important second verse develops well with further changes and breakdowns and continues to maintain our interest.
There’s a gorgeous breakdown at around 2m40s with a sparkling guitar solo and a really tight and exciting drum fill at around 2m55s. The riffs throughout this song just shine and really carry the track.
The whole song reminds us ever so much of Mötley Crüe’s, Kickstart My Heart. There’s something about the pace of the song, the choice of guitar tones, the “woah yeah’s” in the chorus and the lead vocalist sounding very much like Vince Neil. If this is what they were going for then they’ve nailed it. After all, who on earth wouldn’t want to hear new music that sounds like this iconic rock band?
From a radio air play point of view, this song may be a little too long at 4m14s. The vocals not coming in until 50 seconds in may, unfortunately, sway some of the less patient music directors. From our perspective, this music is right up our street and ticked many boxes for us. Perhaps consider seeking out a sync deal for music in the background of a car chase or something like that?!! Perhaps seek out some local air play or specific rock stations. This will definitely appeal to fans of Mötley Crüe and similar hair metal bands and there’s a huge market for that if you can get to the right people. Consider a Facebook campaign for fans of that style of music in order to get the social numbers up to a level that matches the musicianship we’ve enjoyed today.
From a production point of view, there’s not a great deal we’d change. A debut single of this quality is rare. However, we feel that there’s a lot of great clarity and top end in the vocal track but not so much in the rest of the track. A boost of the top octave and a half in the backing will bring out some brightness and shimmer in the cymbals particularly. We’d also suggest a boost around 50-60Hz to give that all important kick drum a little more punch.
We love this track. Drools have produced something reminiscent of late 80s hair metal era and are clearly having the time of their lives playing together. We expect their live show is a riot!! We honestly can’t wait to hear what they produce next. We’ll be listening – and so should you!