Release Date: May 08th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Hedonistic Hard Rock - Tracklisting
1. Saturday Rite Special
2. Large and In Charge
3. UFOria
4. One Hundred Million Billion Beers
5. Escape Prison Planet Earth
6. Outer Space Freebase
7. Enabler
8. Wizard of Ozlo
9. In Possession
Members
Charlie Ytterli = Vocals
Simen Andersen = Guitar
Kim Grannes = Guitar
Tobias Paulsen = Drums
Asbjørn Halsten = Bass
Review
Hedonistic Hard Rock is the debut album from BONG VOYAGE, a supergroup of sorts made up of members from the likes of Håndgemeng, Suncraft, and Buskas. The end result is a devilishly twisted collection of tracks fused by the legendary sounds of the Seventies Hard Rock and Heavy Metal scene. The band add a certain WEEDIAN and STONER METAL energy into the part for a record that’s inspired by the likes of KISS, BLACK SABBATH, THIN LIZZY, QUEEN, KVELERTAK, THE OBSESSED and even ELTON JOHN.
Yeah, I know that sounds like a crazy concoction but here we are with BONG VOYAGE raiding their parents vinyl collection and giving it a thrilling SATANIC ROCK makeover where the key elements are to ENTERTAIN and PARTY ON throughout the whole album. The album still manages to find the time to touch upon areas of Melodic Hard Rock, NWOBHM, Punk Rock and Psych Rock where you can’t help but fall in love with.
Take the superb opening track Saturday Rite Special which sees BONG VOYAGE channel KISS, KVELERTAK and ELTON JOHN for a song that has a real SATANIC attitude but with a loving embrace to the Seventies Hard Rock lifestyle whilst keeping with the Doomed Out and Stoner Rock melodies that the band lovingly build their music upon. The spiky lyrics and turbo charged vocals just add a real party going atmosphere which makes this one of the albums main strengths that carries through tracks such as Large And In Charge, UFOria and One Hundred Million Billion Beers.
I would advise to look at lyrics rather closely where BONG VOYAGE live upto the “HEDONISTIC” element of the album’s name with some mature lyrics being written and sung against the party-going classic rock melodies. The sound is always warm-hearted and quite engaging but look further beyond this aspect and you’re treated to a more demonic and sadistic energy which sees the record become more HEAVY METAL obsessive.
There is still tons of GROWN UP fun to be had with the edgy lyrics that the band have written here. The never-ending waves and levels of Psych Rock attitude move BONG VOYAGE closer to the modern mainstream with some epic instrumental soundscapes developing against the classic hard rock delivery that should keep THIN LIZZY fans happy for a long time to come.
Another standout part of the album is how BONG VOYAGE have captured the tone and energy of the Seventies and Eighties Heavy Metal scene where “EXCESS” was a big thing of the actual scene. The band apply this twisted energy into their music with spectacular results which is downright hilarious throughout on other tracks such as One Hundred Million Billion Beers, Escape Prison Planet Earth, Outer Space Free Base and Wizard Of Ozlo being my favourite tracks on the album. There’s a lot of clever wordplay spliced throughout the album which makes this record quite deep and meaningful when you least expect it.
The subtle shift to Post-Stoner based structures is perhaps the creative glue that holds everything together within the later stages of the record that perhaps comes more from Håndgemeng the most for me. Though, as a whole, BONG VOYAGE are a great band in their own right where you can see why the great Ripple Music signed them to their always amazing roster.
Hedonistic Hard Rock is one of the most highly unapologetic and brilliantly entertaining debut albums I’ve heard in such a long time that I instantly fell in love with the album on the very first listen. The album is packed full of great songs, great melodies, brilliant musical solos and a whole lot of heart even if BONG VOYAGE are doing the work of SATAN himself.
This is a rip-roaring success on every level which will leave you with a huge smile on your face from beginning to end. Yeah, I love this album a lot.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.
Hedonistic Hard Rock is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.
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