Messenger are a reasonably new and very good fun band hailing from Norway and the UK. They have a sound that harks back to the heyday of hair metal of the 1970s & 80s - well worth a listen if you like anything by Bon Jovi, Def Leppard or Van Halen.

Definitely one to attribute to a guilty pleasure and a favourite of British lad mags due to rumours that Ole, the front man had slept with all the women in Norway - hence his arrival over here!

The band are great fun and seemingly have a great sense of humour - embracing their hair-metal roots at every opportunity!

I have heard a sampler of their upcoming album but I will review the tracks available to the listening public via their Myspace page.

Angel Eyes is a slice of classic rock that smacks of Bon Jovi and Van Halen, well worth a listen - turn it up loud and punch the air.

The song 'Amazing' has a bouncy rhythm and flows nicely into an uplifting chorus. THe site also features a nice video for the song which is available further down the page.

Head For Glory starts with a great electronic intro which made me feel something huge was about to leap out of my speakers... however, the song descended into power balladry (which I was a little disappointed by) but then, the chorus jumped in with an awesome 'NA NA NA.....' and I was happy again! I would like to stress that this sense of anti-climax was only present on the first listen!

Hollywood Smile shows a more sensible sound, beginning as an acoustic ballad before moving on to better things.

Take a peek at their myspace and see for yourselves.
http://www.myspace.com/messengernorway

Messenger