the band’s kick ass 70’s rock vibe

Super 400 is a power trio from Troy, New York. I must admit that I only recently discovered this band, although, “Sweet Fist” is the band’s 4th studio effort.

This first thing I noticed was the band’s kick ass 70’s rock vibe. I immediately picked up on Led Zeppelin and some Hendrix as influences to this band.

The opening track, “Needle Down” is an absolute scorcher. The heavy riffs immediately capture my attention, and had me anticipating what would come next. This is the type of tune that you need to crank up loud to fully appreciate.

The riffs on “FFMN” (Fear Forget My Name) are ridiculously catchy. Part of the lyrics seem disjointed from the killer groove this song has. It is a shame, as this song has some good ideas, but I think it tries to do too much.

Lori Friday takes over the lead vocals on the song “Flashlight”. Her vocals give the music more of alternative edge, but this song could also turn out to be a radio hit.

Out of nowhere comes this southern, bluesy, swamp rock tune “Sand Hill”. This song takes a few listens to completely appreciate, but was a nice surprise on “Sweet Fist”.

“Thorn Tree” is another highlight on “Sweet Fist”. This heavy Zeppelin-esque rocker rocks hard. Kenny Hohman really cuts loose on the vocals on this tune.

Super 400 covers the Carole King classic, “I Feel The Earth Move” and does an amazing job with it. This version has a much harder edge, but Kenny Hohman gives the vocals proper treatment. The Hendrix inspired guitar work in this version, makes me prefer Super 400’s over the original. Well done!

I like Super 400’s stripped back approach on this disc. You won’t find flashy guitar noodling or a bunch of high speed double bass drumming. What you will find is a very talented three piece band that can dish out some solid classic rock. If you enjoy the early to mid seventies era of rock, you ought to check out Super 400’s “Sweet Fist”. I think you will enjoy it.