Hong Faux

Who’s afraid of a little pop?

Certainly not Stockholm heavy rockers Hong Faux, who make their vinyl full-length debut with the self-released The Crown that Wears the Head. I think it’s well established by now that I’m a sucker for a well-written hook — all the more if it comes from Sweden — and The Crown that Wears the Head is full of them, working in a deceptively broad stylistic base and nonetheless maintaining a consistency of songwriting throughout the record’s eight tracks. The album is warm and modern, and by the time you’ve made the jump from upbeat opener “Present Tense-less” to the more thickly-grooved “Bad City Blues,” Hong Faux exact a flow so smooth it’s easy to lose track of just how far you’ve come.

Guitarist Nik Seren and bassist BQ share vocal duties, making Graveyard-esque lyrical references to Danzig (on closer “Sparrow Hills”) and skillfully infusing classic late-’60s psychedelia into the verses of “Pearlgarden.” Guitarist Björn and drummer Daniel round out the lineup, the former adding wah-driven classic rock lead work to the back half of “Jack of Clubs” while the drums prove able to adapt to whatever the riffs or pacing might bring. Earlier single “Feign Death to Stay Alive” delivers the title line, and throughout its 33-minute run, The Crown that Wears the Head provides solid heavy rock without pretense or upset to its forward push.

The LP version of the album is available for pre-order through Hong Faux‘s page on Bandcamp, and since I dug their demo and this vinyl, I wanted to offer to stream the tracks from The Crown that Wears the Head so you can hear them for yourself. With design work from Mat Bethancourt (formerly of Josiah, currently of Cherry Choke), it’s a complete package of immediately memorable tunes I thought might be worth checking out. - The Obelisk (US)

I’ve been sitting on this one longer than I care to admit. It certainly would’ve wound up in my top 20 list of 2011 had I listened to it right away. My apologies to the band for not getting to it sooner. Better late than never I guess. The Crown That Wears The Head was released late last year on vinyl. Certainly now strangers to these pages, Hong Faux belt out yet another winner in their first full length following a demo and an EP release. The album is a lot mellower compared to a lot of albums we’ve been covering lately but there’s nothing tame about Hong Faux.There’s a lot of great and memorable riffs, especially my favorite track, “Bad City Blues.” While this album is not a real “fuzzed out” album, it does have some moments for fans of the fuzz. At times I was reminded of The Truckfighters’ Mania album. “Jack of Clubs” has a killer solo to close out the track followed by “Sparrow Hills” which is somewhat of a roller coaster in terms of tone. Still though, it’s a killer track.

The album is available on beautiful 12? vinyl. Click the player below and follow the links to get your own copy, limited to 500. The mix came out real nice on the vinyl release. It’s got a nice and warm feeling to it. Maybe it’s the vinyl, perhaps not. I think it’s the album. - The Soda Shop (US)

"Do you have some email address - so I can send you our brand new ep?"

That was the greeting in the comments at one of our blogs. I wasl naturally curious as any band trying to get in touch with us and wants us to listen to their music. Fortunately, he had filled out their address in the sender so I could track down his band.

It turned out to be Hong Faux from Stockholm whose EP apparently played a lot on the radio in recent months. However, without my knowledge since I am a lousy listeners.

Looked up EP "Novus Forum MMX" in Spotify for a listen and was very pleasantly surprised. It was really good!

They combine generous pinches of stoner rock with classic 70's hard rock and a few pinches of grunge and doom. A really good mix that I want to hear more.

Initial "Present Tense-Less" have a nice drive with great fuzz riff and powerful chorus. "Bad City Blues" takes us into the acid-dripping stone-ground. Heavy, grinding and psychedelic. EP 's strongest song.

The last song "Blade" is a mid-tempo song that brings to mind a bit of Foo Fighters and classic hard rock.

If they release an album that keeps the same high standard as this it´s very likely that it will be one of the best albums.

Translated from swedish using Google translate - steelgardenmusic.wordpress.com

STOCKHOLM BAND Hong Faux plays heavy rock. Really heavy rock. And they know their craft. With dual guitars, bass and drums, they soon have the audience to follow and move in time with the rocking riffs and loops.
With Umeå Son Daniel Israelsson behind the drums, the relatively new Hong Faux have a strong rhythmic foundation and with the front man and vocalist Niklas Seren, they have a real trump card. With a rock voice that is comparable to the very best in the genre (myself, I can not help but think of David Grohl when I hear him) gives Seren band's songs both emotion and power.
The best is when the quartet variable amount of land with calmer sections. The contrasts enriches the band's emphasis on a brilliant way. On the song "Present Tense-less" from their debut EP "Novus Forum MMX" does this work cleanly.
How melodic and sensitive band mongering than is, it can sometimes tend to feel monotonous. This is in addition to the one where real rock show atmosphere is not really present themselves in a half-empty room, on the other hand, the only thing there is to complain during Thursday night's late show.

OUTSIDE material from ep invites Hong Faux also a lot of new songs. Work full length album is well advanced and those who like heavy 70's rock with splashes of blues and grunge should look out for it. Encore, a new song that might be called "155", is a nice ending to a good gig. The song, I take home with me that night and also thought that it would not surprise me if Hong Faux soon appear on the larger venues.

Translated with Google translate from swedish - Västerbottens Folkblad

"Does the World Really Need Yet another rock band from Sweden? The answer is - Hell yeah! Meet Hong Faux, a new band from Stockholm."

This is how the band starts their own presentaion on their website, clear as a bell in my opinion, you can never get enough of new music, especially if it turns out swinging so damn good as this does.

Hong Faux is a rock band from Stockholm, Sweden formed in the spring 2010, consisting of members from Dexter Jones' Circus Orchestra, High Chao and Nutmeg.

Hong Faux´s debut EP "Novus Forum MMX" released in Nov 16, 2010 (Only Digital Version) Bad Boar Music, distributed by X5 Music Group and was released on Spotify, Feb 1, 2011

This EP moves in the landscape of the stoner / rock with influences of classic 70's fuzzy doom metal. A really good mix that I want to hear more of.
The EP, Initiates a little insidious with "Bad City Blues", a heavy grinding bass line and really nice guitar riffs. The vocals is brilliant and fits this perfectly. "Blade" is a more uptempo song, the song that starts with a guitar squeal before it kicks off in earnest with a catchy chorus and classic guitar riffs that are heavy and melodic. The EP ends up with a really strong riff track "Present Tense-Less" with a nice fuzzy melody.

Now I've played this EP on repeat all day and I wonder what fucking stone have they been hiding under. This is awesome and anyone who likes classic rock influences with stooner should get this immediately. Awaiting full length album with excitement, may yet become one of the year's highlights.

Their debut full length album is currently under production. I really hope that they will release this on Vinyl!

- Tune of the Day