Song Of The Week: 6/23/13

Song: "No. 1"

Artist: Bombshell Rocks

Album: "Love For The Microphone" EP

Year: 2004



"No. 1" appears to be a song about post 9/11, specifically the war between the United States and Iraq. The song says the war has done nothing but cause mass destruction and leave dead civilians on both sides. It didn't suppress terrorism, in fact, it created even more terror cells. Bombshell Rocks, from Sweden, formed as a band back in 1995. They recorded their very first EP in 1996, entitled "Who's The Real Bastard". In 1997, they released another EP, "Going Up Going Down", through their own label, Noiseline Records. 1998 saw the band sign to small label Sidekick Records and release yet another EP called "Underground Radio". In 1999, the band released their debut full length studio album, "Street Art Gallery". Burning Heart Records, Sweden's biggest punk label, began to take notice of Bombshell Rocks at this point. They liked their street punk sound that was quite similar to Rancid. It was also around this time that Bombshell Rocks began touring with bands such as Millencolin, Dropkick Murphys and U.S. Bombs. In 2001, the band released "Cityrats And Alleycats", winning opening slots on tours with Blink 182, Millencolin and The Offspring. In 2003, the band released "From Here On In". This album was recorded at the famous Tonteknik Studio in Sweden, the very same studio that the band Refused recorded their legendary album, "The Shape Of Punk To Come". Shortly after the release of "From Here On In", original vocalist, Marten Cedergran decided to leave the band and focus on being a tattoo artist. Guitarists Christian Maatta and Richard Andersson decided to take over vocal duties for the band from this point on. In 2004, the first material to feature Maatta and Andersson on vocals would be the EP "Love For The Microphone". 2006 saw the band release their fourth full length album entitled "The Conclusion". During Bombshell Rocks' long career, the band never quite gained the success or the popularity here in the United States that fellow countrymen Millencolin achieved. However, for fans of bands like Rancid, Bombshell Rocks is just a solid punk rock band. Currently, there hasn't been much going on in the Bombshell Rocks camp the last five years or so. The band has not made any announcements that they have broken up or not, but as for new music, there has been none since 2006's "The Conclusion". The band did release a music video for the song "Move Rhythm City" in 2010. That song appeared on "The Conclusion". There social media sites are up and running so I assume it's just a matter of time before the band releases new music.