Album Review: Finnegan’s Hell – One Finger Salute (Wild Kingdom)

Mixing Ramones flavoured Celtic drinking anthems with hillbilly country, folk rock and metal, The Swedish rock band that is Finnegan’s Hell offers a diverse listening experience. Their new album, ‘One Finger Salute’ is out on December 16th, 2022, via Wild Kingdom.

You won’t be questioned for a raising an eyebrow when you hear or read a description of Finnegan’s Hell sound. A Swedish rock band that takes props from Celtic punk, folk music, metal and more. It should be a bit of a mess and certainly shouldn’t result in as many catchy, fun, and memorable anthems as it does.

This is Finnegan’s Hell, and they rock. One Finger Salute is an album you can dance to, you can drink to, you can head-bang to and sing along to.

An early highlight is the energetic bounce and folkish melody of the title track. The chorus is one that everyone will enjoy shouting along to. Elsewhere, standouts include tracks like the punky and groovy Read My Lips, the dramatic drinking song that is Godforsaken Town, the foot-tapping and knee-slapping folk smash that is I’ll Make it Up to You, and the swagger of Oh Death.

A constant level of buoyancy, helped by the short and sharp length of most of the tracks, makes it a very listenable record. The Swede’s certainly have an understanding of what makes Celtic punk and rock so desirable but infuse enough of their own ideas to make it more than just a re-thread of better-known bands’ styles.

Get your dancing shoes on and grab a pint, but don’t forget to leave one hand free so you can deliver the One Finger Salute!

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