(CD/LP, Nuclear Blast, 2026)
“…the restlessness was in my nature,” Charlotte Brontë wrote almost two centuries ago, and somehow that thought fits GRAVEYARD remarkably well in 2026. There is a restless pulse running through “Fever”: an urge to move, to make noise, to push forward when the world seems determined to close in. You see, sometimes restlessness is the only way out.
And GRAVEYARD have no intention of standing still.
Three years after the darker, more introspective “6”, album number seven feels like somebody opened the windows, turned up the amps and let the dust fly. “Fever” is fuzzier, dirtier and far more direct, driven by analogue warmth, Blues-soaked guitars and riffs with enough grit to leave a mark. Yet there is a bittersweet undertone to all that renewed energy. On June 30, 2026, Jonatan Ramm announced his departure after almost two decades with GRAVEYARD. If this proves to be his final studio statement with them, it’s quite a farewell: a Blues-heavy, wonderfully alive Rock ’N’ Roll record that seems made for a needle dropping onto vinyl.
“Back From The Grave” lifts the curtain with a SABBATH-esque, fuzz-driven riff and immediately brings back the bite I felt was missing from “6”. There is no unnecessary introduction; just a huge groove, thick guitar tone and the kind of loose heaviness that begs for more volume. “Tongue Tied” follows with a warmer, Bluesier swagger, sounding as though it wandered out of a late ’60s / early ’70s record collection.
And then there is Joakim Nilsson. His voice has always been one of this band’s greatest weapons, but on “Fever” he sounds especially invigorated: weathered, dull-bodied and able to convey emotion without forcing it. When he sings “Death is smiling sitting on your shoulder, feeding on your foolish pride,” I’m reminded just how much I miss hearing that voice live.
“A Better Cut (Note To Self)” reaches back toward GRAVEYARD’s debut, its raw guitar tone and confrontational Blues energy recalling what made the band so exciting in the first place. “Year Of The Horse” charges ahead with a touch of KYUSS attitude before easing off around the 2:30 mark, slipping into a mellower Blues passage that brings “Hisingen Blues” to mind. That contrast is one of “Fever”’s biggest strengths. The album rarely settles into one temperature for too long, and that constant shift keeps it alive. The wicked little boogie train catches up on “A Means To An End”, powered by a thunderous riff and sharp, stinging guitar work. Slightly distortion on Nilsson’s vocals gives the refrain an unexpected Indie / THE WHITE STRIPES-like edge, yet it never feels out of place. Following “Time To Tell” digs into the band’s 2011-era Blues Rock sound, with guitars that carry more than a hint of CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL. There is a looseness here that modern Rock could use a lot more of.
“Don’t Shoot!” is where things get particularly interesting: imagine T. REX, SLADE and PRIMAL SCREAM sharing a smoke-filled rehearsal room, and you begin to get the picture. Nilsson’s distorted vocal take on an almost Dylan-like sneer as he sings “none of us was born to lose, ” adding another shade to GRAVEYARD’s already varied sound. I have written before about the band’s sonic pluralism, but on “Fever” they seem even less concerned with defining boundaries. “Room Tempered” brings things back to basics with straight-ahead, hard-hitting riffs that fit their musical identity like a tailored velvet suit.
That immediacy carries through to the production. This time, GRAVEYARD worked without an outside producer, with Truls Mörck taking on the production duties. Pelle Gunnerfeldt handled the mixing, while Robin Schmidt took care of the mastering, preserving a sound that is warm and powerful without polishing away the imperfections. The songs feel played, not assembled, and that distinction matters.
The album closes exactly how a GRAVEYARD record should: in a dimly lit bar after everybody sensible has already gone home. “Dead Note” arrives like a pocket knife stabbed into a wooden table. Slow, Bluesy and deeply atmospheric, it gives Ramm room for some of his most soulful and expressive playing on “Fever”. Nilsson answers with a storytelling vocal performance that sounds made for the small hours. As the song fades, “how does it feel to see the rain…” lingers in the air like an unfinished conversation. Knowing Ramm is leaving, makes that final moment land even harder.
His departure will leave a considerable gap. Throughout “Fever”, his guitar work is expressive without being indulgent, and soulful without turning sentimental. More importantly, it is another reminder of how much GRAVEYARD’s character comes from the chemistry between these four musicians. They could hardly have chosen a more fitting final record together.
With “Fever”, GRAVEYARD sound ruthlessly succinct, honest and hungry. The music is fuzzy, Blues-soaked and proudly old-school, but its freshness comes from something more interesting than nostalgia: the band remembering what made them special without feeling obliged to repeat it.
Damn right, the restlessness is still there.
9/10
Links:
www.FaceBook.Com/GraveyardOfficial
www.Instagram.Com/GraveyardMusic
Tracklist:
01. Back From The Grave
02. Tongue Tied
03. A Better Cut (Note To Self)
04. Year Of The Horse
05. A Means To An End
06. Time To Tell
07. Don’t Shoot!
08. Room Tempered
09. Dead Note
Lineup:
Joakim Nilsson - Guitar, Vocals
Jonathan LaRocca Ramm - Guitar
Truls Mörck - Bass, Organ, Backing Vocals
Oskar Bergenheim - Drums