Rollerball - Oversize

Sat 2nd Oct, 2004 in Music Reviews

From the first four seconds of Rollerball’s sophomore album Oversize you know what you’re going to get from the Brisbane four piece, balls to the wall rock music.

Sounding like a combination of Zeppelin and stoner rockers Kyuss, with a bit of AC/DC thrown in for good measure, Rollerball kick arse! There’s only one-way to listen to an album like this, to quote FLs Luke, “mind shearingly LOUD!”

From go to just about woe, this album doesn’t let up. It’s only at the end that the pace slows down for a ballad. Solid pounding bass lines keep listeners tapping their toes and nodding their heads. Clocking in at just under forty minutes, Oversize isn’t actually Oversized. There’s no filler on this disc so it really does suck you in, and before you know it the album is over. You’ll be asking yourself where’d that forty minutes of my life go?

The album opens with Turn Back The River, which sets the stage for the onslaught. The song’s only two and a half minutes, but it gets the heart going, and if you’re writing a review, the fingers as well. I have never typed so fast and was just trying to keep up with the break neck rhythm. By then end of track one I was ready for a breather.

Rollerball don’t slack off on the throttle on Armed and Dangerous. On Bookend you can really hear the Led Zeppelin influence loud and clear. It develops on that stop start style of Black Dog; a style that was also successfully used by Soundgarden on Superunknown. Their vocalist Matt has such a gravely voice which occasionally lapses into a Page/Morrison-esque rasp.

Cocoon slows things down a bit. It begins with a slow, funky bass line and then as it rises towards the crescendo of the chorus the guitars kick in. As Cocoon lapses back into the next verse the guitars fade out leaving the bass line and slow drumming. As the second chorus draws near, the pace of the song noticeably quickens and this time it doesn’t relent, from here on in it’s a full frontal assault, until it closes on a slow peaceful note.

When you hit Surprise Me, Rollerball pull back to classic dirty Australian rock, think a modern Angels, or AC/DC playing a pub show. Midway through you get the solos which had me up playing air guitar over the couch and dancing round the lounge room in my undies, thrusting my rather emaciated hips all over the place.

The album closes with three killers. Dustboards is classic grunge rock guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the hardened rock fan. Common Thread draws upon the theme that runs throughout this album, that is, awesome rock music played loud and proud. Concluding with Drink Until Light, which is the only ballad on the album with an acoustic guitar and Matt’s voice. It provides such a contrast to the rest of the album and show just how versatile these boys are.

The album also comes with a DVD component, a “Docu’mini’mentary”. The DVD gives the listener an overview of the bands intentions with this album. Oversize has a rock gravitas about it that draws you in. It is solid gold rock and I just can’t wait to see on the open stage with a complementary large sound system, pushing Rollerball’s sounds right through to your guts. If you’re looking for some great Australian rock, look no further than Rollerball’s Oversize.