Shakra – Snakes & Ladders

Label: AFM Records Release: 10.11.2017

With their new record Snakes & Ladders the Swiss band Shakra sends us back to our childhood. Beause who didn’t play the Snakes & Ladders board game back then?! In order to evoke these childhood memories more authentically, the band – reportedly – even included the game in the CD and vinyl version of the album.

The album is already the second record since Mark Fox returned to the band and it sounds… well, as if he had never left. One can’t deny that Shakra always sounds a bit the same – this is not a bad thing per se but if one couldn’t hear the lyrics, it would be hard to say for sure, which song is playing. But nevermind, the Swiss band has a solid fanbase, who put their idols to the number two spot of the Swiss Charts. Surely this was because it was an awesome record and because Fox had rejoined the band. Can they do it again? I am not so sure about it, it will be very hard to outdo their last record. With the title track Snakes & Ladders and Something You Don’t Understand, they follow on straight from their last album. These are truly awesome songs. But apart from those, no other song stands out specifically, except the bluesier-than-usual Rollin.

Bottom line: The songs are not bad, Shakra doesn’t record bad songs. But there’s nothing surprising here. Snakes & Ladders is solid work from Shakra – just as you would expect from them. Another great album in their discography.