Abrakadabra

Abrakadabra is a work, characteristic of HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, mixing glam-metal flamboyance and punk-like roughness. Thick guitar, provocative vocals and short, stabbing hooks come in succession, and while wearing a dark atmosphere, the sound is very catchy. Even a quarter-century after forming, it is a record on which the band’s precarious appeal has not dimmed in the least. On “Abrakadabra,” “Influencer” and “Give Me a Smile,” the signature of Swedish hard rock — sounding danger and fun at once — comes through well. Songs like “Forever and a Day,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “Fighter” breathe the band’s full playing too. It is matured sleaze rock on which dark texture and catchy melody coexist. Even as veterans, their personality and energy are alive and well — a full record.