When I first heard the band name COVERED CALL I thought it was a strange moniker but I then learned what it meant. It is a financial investors term referring to having a long position in an asset combined with a short position in a call option on the same underlying asset. Well that certainly makes it less confusing!?!?! Well anyway, the name becomes nothing more than an afterthought, as the music is what matters most. And I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised with the sounds that came off of the debut disc “Money Never Sleeps”.

COVERED CALL is a Swedish act that features ace vocalist Thomas Vikstrom (ex-TALK OF THE TOWN, BRAZEN ABBOT, CANDLEMASS, etc.). Vikstrom has always been a voice that I've liked and so that was the initial draw I had to this band. But when you add the talents of fellow Swedes Ronny Svanstromer (drums), Joel Carlsson (guitar), Thomas Thulin (bass) and Morgan Rosenquist (guitar) it truly gives a powerhouse sound that harkens back to classic Euro hard rock but with modern sensibilities. If I had to pigeonhole the bands sound it would be hard but I’d say they definitely draw influences from “Have A Nice Day”-era BON JOVI mixed with bits and pieces of THIN LIZZY, JOURNEY and BONFIRE to name just a few. They certainly draw their sound from many influences but it ultimately adds up to unique sound for the band. Quite honestly, as I listened to each track I got the increasing feeling this one might end up on my “Best Of” list come years end!

The opening three tracks of the record draw on the very influences mentioned above as “All Because Of Me”, with its modern day JOVI feel, “Til’ The End”, with its LIZZY-esque vibe and “Shine”, sounding of JOURNEY meets the melodic side BONFIRE all combine for an impressive start to the record.

Further tracks like “Never Again” (BONFIRE sounding with a subtle VAN HALEN nuance) and “Anything You Want” (reminding a bit of the great STRYPER ballads at times!) continue to propel this album to the top of the heap.

I could go on and on with comparisons to other great bands but that ultimately wouldn’t be fair to COVERED CALL as the music they produce truly does stand on its own. They’ve managed to create a familiar sound but one that is still all their own.

Bottom line is COVERED CALL has virtually come out of nowhere and created a quality and classy hard rock affair; one that deserves a listen if you’re a fan of any of the bands I mentioned above. I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed at all.