Review from Metal Factory (Switzerland)

Rating: 8,7/10

Groove, Groove und nichts anderes als Groove dominiert die 51 Minuten der früher unter dem selten dämlichen Namen "Fingerspitzengefühl" (sic!) agierenden Schweden von Switch Opens. Eigentlich bieten die Stockholmer 70er Jahre-Rock bei dem Einflüsse von Canned Heat, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Raconteurs oder Cathedral ebenso vertreten sind wie diverse analoge Soundspielereien. Das Grundgerüst wird eigentlich nur vom tighten Schlagzeugspiel und dem unglaublich drückenden, knurrenden Bass getragen. Die Gitarren verkommen dabei neben Rythmusunterstützung und ein paar Twin-Angriffen fast zu einem Mittel zum Zweck und füllen die Zwischenräume des bereits extrem dichten Soundgewands der Rythmusabteilung mit sphärischen Klängen, verklärten Soli und LSD-beeinflusstem Noise. Über allem thront der melodische, aber rauhe und mehr als nur intensive Gesang des Bassisten, der mir des öfteren eine amtliche Gänsehaut bescherte. Ein nahezu perfektes Album für fast alle Lebenslagen, sei es für den betrunkenen Heimweg, um nach der Arbeit runter zu kommen, ein verschwitztes Schäferstündchen oder einen energetischen Kifferabend. Die saubere, aber dreckige und extrem dynamische Produktion lässt dabei Übersongs wie den Opener "Express Death", "Paper Walls" oder "Lucky Me, Lucky You" noch besser erstrahlen und gefällt mir persönlich ausserordentlich. Ich begegne dieser Spielart von Switch Opens zum ersten Mal, bin aber auf Anhieb ziemlich begeistert. Denn es regt niedere Instinkte an, hat auch in den ruhigen Momenten unterschwellige Power zu bieten und kriegt deshalb und wegen der sehr gelungenen Machart zwei fette Daumen nach oben.
- Hardy

Metal Factory

Review from Sonic Dice (UK)

Rating: 5/6

Switch Opens are a Stockholm based 4-piece and were actually named Fingerspitzengefühl before 2006. I am glad they changed it.

This, their self-titled album, immediately gets my attention. Not only does the intro have what I think is an echoplex effect which starts off with the faintest hint of feedback, looping around before trailing off into the atmosphere, but the bass and drums thunderclap into an aggressive Motorhead-style verse. I thought: yep, this could be a pretty straight-up crusty and fuzzy rockin’ band. And they are, but Switch Opens have created an album with an incredible amount of depth and dexterity around the core of driving doom rock.

The first track Express Death continues with the same driving force, whilst soaring phaser fx guitars glide over the top. The vocals complement the melodic playing before a change of direction in the track. Screams, shouts, off-kilter drums and strong Queens Of The Stone Age-sounding riffs dominate the rest of the track. It’s a lengthy track at a tad over 7 minutes long, but the majority of the tracks are over 5 minutes. Jesper Skarin’s vocals hiss and snarl just as much as the bass fizzes through the album. There is an authoritative air about the delivery of the tracks and one of a great deal of intent and force, in the same way each of the personalities of Mastodon manage to push their own individual styles in their music. No instruments hide in the background looking sheepish; you can hear the multiple guitars clearly in a way they are meant to be heard. For instance, on Paper Walls and He Dives Down there are moments of acoustic playing, but they are never hidden; there is even enough space left in the mix for the odd solo as well.

The forceful nature of the album continues with Terra Incognita, a doomy/psychedelic album with a real nod towards Neurosis. There are heaps of sustain on the bass and, at times, the guitar-playing suggests to me what Kim Thayil would have sounded like if Soundgarden had been a bit darker. Super Globe Of Pain slows things down even further. In fact, the last few tracks sink deep into a sludgy doom fest with a bass-heavy production, like bands such as Bongzilla, Electric Wizard and End Of Level Boss, but without containing too much of an Iommi influence. After listening to the first track I would not have guessed I would end up here, and that is a very good thing.

- Rich E.

For Fans Of: Mastodon, Bongzilla, High On Fire

Sonic Dice

Review from Organ Magazine (UK)

A rather decent, rather different blend of alternative imaginative metal flavoured rock from Stockholm, Sweden. Touches of folk in there, real taste progressive adventure, cathartic riffs, rather impressively decent, rather adventurous heavy alternative rock, a band with a blend of colour all of their own, a band who clearly need to be a little different. The results are well worth your time.

Organ Magazine

Review from Metal Discovery (UK)

Rating: 9/10
'Switch Opens' is the self-titled debut album of the newly branded Swedish band Fingerspitzengefühl, apparently releasing two albums under this previous moniker before changing names to the less phonetically challenging Switch Opens. As I sit there wondering if the name was lifted from the Soundgarden song bearing this title, second track 'Pyramids' kicks in with its dirty bass-heavy guitar driven sounds and grunge vibe, so I guess the influence extends beyond just the band's new name. However, this is only a minor part of Switch Opens' music. Opening song 'Express Death' is a much more up tempo affair that skilfully fuses groove metal with elements of punk aggression, psychedelia, and downright dirty fucked up mosh 'n' roll...okay that's the first 4 minutes, then the remainder of the song's seven minute playing time is occupied by musical dissonance and progressive time signatures. Bassist/vocalist Jesper Skarin delivers each lyric with sheer passion in a range of styles as disparate as the music - Devin Townsend style growling ('Paper Walls'), crust punk barks ('Lucky Me, Lucky You'), and a very amenable clean voice ('Super Globe of Pain'). The press release accompanying this promo states that "every song has its own, clear identity" and I certainly wouldn't disagree, although the series of compositions on offer, which vary between dirty, punk-edged metal, grunge, psychedelic stoner, and heavy prog-rock, are bound together by an absorbing finesse that is all too often lacking in other works that strive for so much diversity. Overloaded with original, heavy, catchy riffs that draw you into its infectious essence, 'Switch Opens' is an unpredictable ride from start to finish with twists and turns that will leave you breathless and wanting to hit the play button again straight after the album's finished. I've never particularly been a fan of labelling music (after all, there are just two genres, right?....music you like and music you don't), and I pity the poor journalists who do feel the perpetual need to classify everything they hear. This one will fuck 'em up good and proper! Take a look at the cover art - this is precisely what your brain will feel like upon digesting Switch Opens' music. Astonishing stuff. Go stimulate you mind right now.

- Mark Holmes

Metal Discovery

Buy the album at Amazon, Play.com and more!

CD:
Tower records (US)
Amazon.uk
Play.com
hmv.com
Loud1.net (UK)
Fandango Music Shop (Spain)

Cdmarket (Finland)

Andromeda (Italy)
Hon-michi.com (Japan)
Amazon.jp (Japan)
GMR Webshop
CDON.COM
Ginza.se

MP3:
Amazon.uk
Amazon.com
Klicktrack
Yahoo.jp (Japan)

Review from Fileunder.nl (Holland)

In de auto heb ik meestal m'n iPod op de shufflefunctie staan. De rauwe vocalen die me daarbij zo nu en dan tegemoet kwamen maakten me erg nieuwsgierig. Afgezien van Brian Johnson en Lemmy heb ik er daar niet zoveel van, maar deze rauwe vocalen - hoe beperkt ook - bevielen me goed. Na een paar keer wist ik dat dat Switch Opens was. Nu de hamvraag: zou ik het een album lang leuk blijven vinden? Het antwoord is een volmondig ja. Dit is hun derde album, zij het het eerste onder de naam Switch Opens. De vorige twee verschenen onder de commercieel hopeloze bandnaam Fingerspitzengefühl. Het gevoel voor commercie is er met de wijziging echter nog steeds niet, getuige de onbegrijpelijke en onbegrijpelijk lelijke hoes. Muzikaal is het echter lekker wat deze Zweden laten horen. Een mengeling van metal, punk, psychedelica, een enkele keer afgewisseld met een stukje progmetal, en dat alles in een soort doomverpakking. Subtiel is het zelden, het tempo ligt redelijk hoog en de acht songs zijn toch niet kort te noemen. Niettemin kreeg ik nergens het gevoel dat het nu wel eens afgelopen mocht zijn. Integendeel, de power en energie, de bas die de songs voortdrijft, de loodzware riffs in drop d-stemming die er overheen beuken, die stem van Jesper Skarin, het blijft steeds weer lekker. En dus blijf ik Switch Opens opzetten. En nog eens. En nog eens...

fileunder.nl

Review from EstMetal (Estonia)

Rating: 6,5/10

Switch Opens on 2000 aastal loodud kogenud muusikute punt Rootsist, Stockholmist, kuid esimest korda kuulsin neist alles sel aastal. Ja pole ka imestada, sest alles nüüd, sügisel on aeg küps, et bänd väljastaks oma esimese kauamängiva. Algselt meie jaoks ülikeerulise nime Fingerspitzengefühl all formeerud ansamblis on liikmetel nii doomi, deathi kui thrash metali tausta ja kogemusi (Rise And Shine, Moaning Wind, Dawn Of Decay jne). Eks seda on kuulda ka äsjailmunud omanimelisel debüütalbumil.

Switch Opens sisaldab endas kaheksat lugu, millede kogupikkuseks 51 minuti jagu vanakooli metalit ja rocki. Kuigi suurim rõhk on praegu populaarsuse laineharjal surfaval stoneril ja sludge metalil, toob bänd jõuliselt sisse mitmeid erinevaid nüansse. Hullutakse psühhedeelia piirimail, kangutatakse aeglast proto-doomi (Pyramids), poetatakse pilk proge-rocki seeliku alla ning küntakse koguni ironmaidenlikku heavy-põldu (Lucky Me, Lucky You). Album on vägagi mitmekesine, kus pea iga lugu omaette ooperist, samas on aga suudetud kõik omavahel seosesse ning ühtseks tervikuks seada. Suurim asi, mis mind häirib on aga vokaal, mille tämber samastub kõigi musttuhande kivimetalbändiga, mis üle kogu maailma laineid löövad. Vaid kohtades, kus kasutatakse madalamat häält, pääseb see kohe maksvusele ning parandab kogu loo kõla märgatavalt (Terra Incognita).

Kuigi tervikuna pole Switch Opens sugugi minu suurimate lemmikute seas, leidsin enda jaoks päris mitu väga head träkki ning üldmulje ei ole halb. Kahtlemata üks paremaid stoner-albumeid, mida ma kuulanud olen. Kindlasti leiaksid ka vanakooli doomi austajad siit nii mõndagi üllatavat, samuti võiksid igasuguse seitsmekümnendate raskerocki fanaatikud seda kuulata.

EstMetal