Forward in Reverse 2016

"Despite the fact that they released only two albums in the 90s, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy - along with Kashmir, to be fair - were perhaps the most important band on the Danish alternative rock scene at the time. They eventually had a less-than-amicable split-up and, while Tim Christensen embarked on a solo career, the two other members took up regular day jobs, and that was the end of that adventure.

Or so it seemed, because the band decided to reunite and write new material, and in 2016, their comeback album "Forward in Reverse" saw the light of day.

And, boy, what a great album! From the opening instrumental track "Phying Pharao" over the uptempo rocker "Terrified in Paradise" and the heavy "Brainless" to the groovy "Mindgasm", we are treated to catchy and melodic hard rock tunes which capture capture the sense of Beatles-inspired sophistication that characterized the band's 90s albums. Even the ballads "Something So Familiar" and "Say it to me Anyway" - which are more reminiscent of frontman Tim Christensen's more softie solo efforts - are actually pretty good.

Although it's 20 years between "Rotator" and this album, it seems more like only two or three years have passed. Incredibly, the production sounds almost like it does on those two 90s albums, and the musicianship has not faltered at all despite the fact that two of the band's members had been away from the music industry for, what, 15 years or something. Tim Christensen's voice also sounds pretty much like it did back then.

Admittedly, part of my appreciation of this album has to do with nostalgia. I mean, I was young in the 90s and would listen a lot to the band's 90s albums, but the music on this album can stand on its own, and it can be enjoyed even if you were not around to enjoy 90s music scene in Denmark. This is because we are simply dealing with great rock music. Period."