You know how it goes: when a band puts out its debut, those songs are usually cherry-picked from a vast catalog of compositions the band has crafted over many years; so it’s not unusual for a debut to deliver one hell of a body blow. With any luck, plenty of gems will remain for the sophomore effort, too. Then comes the moment of truth – the notoriously difficult third album. The honeymoon is over, and it’s time to face the cold, hard reality: does your band really have what it takes to make a killing in the long run? Finnish alternative supergroup MOON SHOT maybe didn’t have to hone their craft being locked in a garage for plus-10 years, since the band is comprised of members from such pedigree acts as CHILDREN OF BODOM, LAPKO, and DISCO ENSEMBLE, but this age-old phenomenon applies universally to these types of passion projects just as well. The band’s 2021 debut “Confession” rushed through the gates with a blast, and their sophomore album “The Power” further cemented their place in the upper echelon of Finnish alternative rock in 2024. Now, it’s the divine moment of truth as their third album “Thunderlust” is poised to take over the world on September 18th, 2026, due out on Reaper Entertainment. Then, as if those previous full-lengths were not enough to make us all jittery about this upcoming affair, last year’s “Broken Bones” EP sure charged our anticipation with an additional layer of excitement: “Cradle,” which closed the EP on nothing short of a high note, remains the absolute best banger the band has ever written – how could they possibly keep the streak going?
The album kicks off on a rather promising footing: “Razor’s Edge” is a synth-driven banger with arena-size choruses. The song does not immediately come off as an instant earworm as some of those early bangers were. In fact, few songs on this new album are – their magic works at a slower pace. By this I mean that none of the songs urged me to put them on repeat right off the bat like “Broken Bones” and “Cradle” did. Still, after the first spin, I kinda felt like wanting to listen to the album from start to finish again – and again. The album is not a conceptual affair, not like those prog monoliths from yesteryear, but the way the lyrics explore our human condition from all sides makes you feel as if there was some sort of unifying theme of embracing the unknown, trusting our intuition, and acknowledging that our fragility and strength come from the same place inside ourselves. It’s always a pleasure to listen to radio-friendly alt-rock with lyrics that go a little bit deeper than titties and beer while steering clear of the cheesy stuff of, say, U2 or the pretentious emo of 30 SECONDS TO MARS. In this respect, MOON SHOT is like the next-gen Finnish version of NICKELBACK.
Yeah, I fully acknowledge that NICKELBACK is not one of those bands to name-drop if you want your street credibility to remain intact. However, whatever you may think of them, they sure have a good number of bangers in their back catalog. MOON SHOT still has some mileage to gather before they can roll out a résumé like that, but they’re on the right path, that’s for sure. The scent of melancholy is perhaps a little bit stronger in these songs, but the catchiness factor is of a rather similar level. On closer look, “Always In Your Corner,” for instance, resonates with the air of a pop version of THREE DAYS GRACE, so the music is a tad more nuanced than a carbon copy of NICKELBACK, just to make it clear.
And speaking of nuances, MOON SHOT‘s radio-friendly pop-metal / alt-rock reaches out to somewhat peculiar directions here and there, too. One of the main melodies in “False Heroes,” for one, resonates with an almost Viking/Folk-metal-esque edge. I mean, the German audience would certainly sing along to it! Then, with a little bit softer arrangement and production, “Hey Boy” could easily pass for a COLDPLAY song. Oh, yeah, vocalist Ville Malja should also go for the falsetto register to pull that impression off properly, but you get the point. The album is indeed unashamedly radio-friendly. Should I say pop-tinged? Maybe. While contemporary mainstream pop is getting weirder by the moment, these rogues pay homage to the pop sounds of yesteryear with these catchy bangers. Instead of glitchy Autotune gimmicks, pop means strong melodies in this case. The melancholically tinged “Lightning Strike” proved to be the strongest of the bunch, at least for me, in this respect. It seems that MOON SHOT is a kind of kindred spirit to KATATONIA, in terms of songwriting: save for a few random bangers, their songs don’t usually hit you over the head instantly, but after a while, you find yourself listening to them on repeat time and time again. The title track also boasts all the hallmarks of a slow grower with its somewhat plaintive melodies. So, all things considered, it seems that MOON SHOT just released a great album – and over time, it might grow even greater.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Razor’s Edge
- Always In Your Corner
- False Heroes
- A Thing Called Forever
- No Walls
- Hey Boy
- Hammer of Changes
- Crystal
- Lightning Strike
- Thunderlust
- Final Call
Lineup
Ville Malja – vocals
Jussi Ylikoski – guitars
Mikko Hakila – drums
Henkka Seppälä – bass
Label
Reaper Entertainment
