HEAT • Night Trouble • LP

This Charming Man Records

The 7” “Day In Day Out” was basically the appetizer for HEAT’s new album “Night Trouble.” Right from the first listen, you can tell: this thing has a much more professional sound than the earlier records — the production is seriously killer. It was once again recorded with their now former bassist and Kadavar sound engineer Richard in Berlin — and damn, it turned out huge. Richie really delivered the goods on this one.

Side A of the HEAT record pays homage to the greats of the genre with a few well-placed nods: you can definitely hear echoes of Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, and AC/DC. Overall, this side houses the clear hits of the album — the “simpler songs,” so to speak. Starting with track 6 — or Side B, for the analog-minded — the five-piece, now featuring a new guitarist and a bassist from England they apparently found on Craigslist (no joke), really start to let loose. If the first side felt a bit too “smooth” for you, and you’re craving a challenge, here’s your reward: HEAT show what they’re really capable of. Sometimes it’s a massive wall of fuzz, sometimes it’s pure emotion when they conjure up that sense of space and melancholy.

If you’re into the sound of the old classic rock heroes, you can safely hit the “buy” button — or better yet, head down to your local record store like in the old days. Feels like the stages are only going to get bigger from here. I wish these guys worldwide fame — and I’m glad that Krautrock and Kraftwerk won’t be the only German exports in the Enterprise’s logbook anymore.