Forget the personalities, forget the trends. What Chump offers on this CD is what the world needs now (besides Axl Rose and Guns and Roses); good hard guitar rock.
With the 10 songs here (including a reverent cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black"), the band - consisting of guitarist Lars Lindgren, drummer Chris Cooper and veteran bass player Outlaw Oldfield -- shows the chops to bring down the house. There are no gimmicks, no trend du jour, because Chump just rocks. From the opening of "Living In Squalor" to the end of "Drunk," a solid rhythm (and vocal) section churns it out under a layer of hard-rock guitar chords that many will have thought disappeared from the scene.
Given that, the band has enough to recommend it, even though their contributions go beyond that. Lindgren, the main songwriter, has a tendency to go for the shock on songs like "Addicted To Sex," "Integrity," "Drunk," and so on, but his hard-charging vocals (and those of the other band members) carry the day. They mean it, man, even if it always isn't pretty. By which I mean that Lindgren's voice is unique and takes some getting used to, but, after that, he sounds as natural as Mr. Sunshine.
Like I said, this is what the music world needs now, even if you don't like the band or what they do. Since the days of Chuck Berry (and later, U2), it's been three chords and the truth. Chump, at least, brings that aspect to the party. Do you want to rock or do you want to roll? (Michael Baugh)