Have you recently discovered a heavy rock album that does not slack off from start to end? Electric Hydra’s From the Fallen is one of these.

Like the mythological Hydra that grows stronger when struck down, Swedish heavy rock quintet Electric Hydra have returned after a period of of silence with From the Fallen, an 11-track album forged through adversity. The album captures a band reborn—heavier, sharper, and more focused than ever.

The punky opening track Scent of Blood bursts out with a no-messing intro that would turn heads and get a crowd moving if it were an opener for a live set. Quickly followed by the equally pacey Let the Chaos Unfold, with its chunky riff intro that carries through each verse, you get an early sense that this album is not flim-flam, it’s the real deal. The second track builds to a crescendo ending before Prayers of Fire. Instead of the third high-energy track on the trot, but we get a slight breather here and a glimpse of the creative scope that the band have developed. Ellinor provides a rolling bassline intro on her Rickenbacker, playing over some conversational vocals that could be between the band members while setting up, or in a bar, before we are treated to a Jon Lord-esque Hammond-style organ that ushers in a wall of riff. There is a slowed interlude in this track before the riff wall takes over again and the tempo picks up. More giant intros are found in It’s All Just Dirt, where the pace is slowed down and a nice chuggy bass/rhythm guitar combo pops up that will get your head rotating. At just over 4.5 minutes, this is the longest track on the album. When Destruction Calls rolls in with a thundering bassline that powers through and we get a subtle, slightly muted, guitar solo before the track signs off abruptly.

At this point, anticipation is building that this album will deliver more. And there it is with Contagious. Dual vocals emerge and a guitar solo is unleashed in a track that would not be out of place on a giant festival stage. How to follow this? Well, take a deep breath and relax into the mellower pace of A New Dawn. Another short guitar solo in there that blends seamlessly with Sanne’s vocals. My Decay is short but sweet with another giant riff opener. It might be possible to detect some grunge-leaning guitar/vocal work there, in the vein of Alice in Chains’ Them Bones.

For Riding the Haze, Sanne gets a break from lead vocal work and nice harmonised rhythm guitars work well with male vocals. The penultimate track, The Fallen, is short, fast, sweet and the most punky.

A Sky Full of Fading Stars is the longest track on the album, and also the finale. It has a slightly psychedelic feel with a nice layered guitar intro and dreamier, spatial vocals. There’s some more keyboard hidden in there, this could be more from the guest musicians that make an appearance on the album. This track could evoke images of gazing into a crystal-clear Swedish night sky, filled with swirling Northern Lights.

From the Fallen is a great heavy rock album that does not slack off at any point. There is nothing to offend, just full-strength caffeinated riffs, relentless pace and energy. With album number 2 under their belt, the band will surely embark on a wider tour. Don’t pass it by if you get the chance to go see them!

Electric Hydra:
Sanne Karlsson (vocals)
Ellinor Andersson (bass)
Emil Andersson (guitar/vocals)
Adi Selimic (guitar)
Dennis Åhman (drums)