Wig Wam: Never Say Die (Frontiers, 2021)

As weird as 2021 has been, I honestly didn’t see a Wig Wam reunion coming. The band members went their separate ways after 2012’s Wall Street – most notably Age Sten Nilsen forming Ammunition and Trond Holter convincing Jorn Lande to sing about Dracula – and that was supposed to be the end. Well, apparently not all developments this year are bad, because Wig Wam is reunited and back with a new album, the appropriately-titled Never Say Die.

The time off might have actually done the band some good, because Never Say Die is a fantastic album with an infectious energy. The Norwegian band has always had a unique take on the melodic rock sound, but here they’ve dialed back the quirkiness a bit and seem to be having a great time just rocking out. The hooks are insanely catchy, the choruses are huge and the vibe is completely positive and uplifting in that classic rock anthem kind of way. And there’s just a special kind of magic when “Glam” and “Teeny” are together that this album reinforces in a big way.

This is one of those albums that has so many great songs it’s hard to call out favorites, but early singles “Never Say Die” and “Kilimanjaro” are pretty amazing representations of Never Say Die’s sound and energy. “Call Of The Wild,” which has a weird/cool little callback to Michael Jackson’s
Beat It” in the chorus, is another gem, as is closing number “Silver Lining.” Even the instrumental “Northbound” gets into your subconscious.”

Wig Wam may have actually released their best album ever with Never Say Die. This is one of the best melodic rock albums 2021 has to offer so far, and captures everything great about this unique band. It’s definitely not a case of a band reuniting only to produce a lackluster album. Never Say Die is one that will get plenty of spins, and is a must-have for fans of Ammunition, The Poodles, Gotthard and Black Swan.