Review | Nestor – Teenage Rebel

Napalm Records

After being on a hiatus for some 25 to 30 (!) years in October 2021 Swedish rockers Nestor released their first full album ‘Kids In A Ghost Town’. The band was active in the year of 1989 (and active until around 1995). In a time that bands such as Giant and Signal released their debut albums. So why was there no room for the melodic rock of a similar band like Nestor? Still a mystery to me and most likely also to the five band members. The band released their album all by themselves and got noticed. Not only by an audience but also by Napalm Records who made an agreement with the group to re-release ‘Kids In A Ghost Town’ in its entirety including a couple of bonus tracks. Plus they signed Nestor up for a new album to be released at the end of May 2024.

ROUND TWO

So, here they are our Swedish friends consisting of singer/producer Tobias Gustavsson, guitarist Jonny Wemmenstedt, drummer Mattias Carlsson, bass player Marcus Ablad and keyboardist Martin Frejinger, ready to roll the dice once again for round two. The circumstances are different now. The band made a big impact with their first record. They played at several big festivals so there are expectations to be met with ‘Teenage Rebel’ whether the band likes it or not. Can they deliver? I must confess that at first glance not much has changed when you are talking about sound, style, and set-up.

NATURAL SUCCESSOR

The new record sounds as a natural successor. Nestor navigates safely through the eleven songs of which some have impact and some not so much. On that first album most songs just managed to creep into your head with their sound and melody and I do not have that as much with ‘Teenage Rebel’. The surprise has worn off a bit for me. Having said that, the truth is that there are a few little jewels to be found on this record. Take for instance ,,Daughter’’, track eleven and the closer of the album. A super sensitive ballad with a great vocal by Tobias, a monster solo by Jonny and some real great piano work by Martin. Also the second ballad ,,The One That Got Away’’ is a treat for the ears.

NESTOR – THE CONCLUSION

If you are into ‘Kids Of A Ghost Town’ you will most likely dig ‘Teenage Rebel’ as well. Nestor has managed to record a natural follow-up without doing anything surprising or new. There is nothing wrong with that at all but it has proven to be too hard to match the high level of song writing that made ‘Kids In A Ghost Town’ stand out so distinctively. At stages (the two mentioned ballads plus ,,Victorious’’, ,,21’’ and ‘’We Come Alive’’) Nestor comes close to that level. But there are a few tracks that not completely meet the standard set by the band itself. Nothing to be ashamed of as the record as a whole is better than most of the melodic rock bands that are around these days.

Release date: 29 May 2024