Teaser Sweet formed in 2013, when guitarist Marcus Damberg joined forces with his sister and powerhouse vocalist, Therese Damberg, to play hard rocking heavy metal tunes influenced by Black Sabbath and Dio. After three albums and an EP, the band returns with their fourth studio album, Night Stalker, out on High Roller Records.

Teaser Sweet shows on Night Stalker that they can straddle the worlds of hard rock and heavy metal with attitude, entrancing melodies, and just a touch of grit. Softer and slower moments keep the album interesting while the arena rock riffs get the blood pumping. Tuneful vocals, including some wonderful vocal harmonies, catch the attention while driving guitar riffs and drums keep these songs moving. In all, Night Stalker is a pleasure for fans of bluesy heavy metal, 1970’s style hard rock, and the more radio-friendly side of the NWOBHM.  

Review

The lovely acoustic Intro sets the tone of the album and leads into Night Stalker, which rides the fine line between hard rock and heavy metal with aplomb. A chugging riff kicks the song off, which hits particularly hard coming out of the acoustic picking of Intro. As with the best songs on Night Stalker, the title track swells to a big earworm chorus that tunnels its way into the brain and stays just long enough to leave an impression. Therese Damberg’s melodious voice and the beautiful vocal harmonies from bass played Hampus Steenberg take this track and others from good to great. A very strong start!

Deep in the Woods keeps up the high quality of the album so far, with the soulful harmonizations of Damberg and Steenberg on full display. Their harmonizing is without question a highlight of the album, giving the bombastic hard rocking tunes more body and the softer songs a lovely character. Songs like Deep in the Woods also show Teaser Sweet crafting great headbanging riffs. This tune in particular reminds me of a combination of Sanhedrin’s heavy metal swagger and Ruby the Hatchet’s 1970’s-leaning boogie.

Living in Sin opens with a quiet chug reminiscent of Judas Priest before Damberg’s belting vocals swoop in and steal the spotlight. With one of the best choruses on the album rounded out by additional backing vocals, Living in Sin is another great jam full of fist pumping guitar and propulsive drumming by Kent Svensson. I find that drummers often make their name on mid-tempo songs like this one, where the drum fills are needed to keep up momentum and energy, and Svensson delivers the goods.

Blue Sky is, as the name suggests, a slower, bluesier tune. Teaser Sweet shows with this track that they can go slower without losing the momentum of the harder driving songs on the album. On repeat listens, this track stands out for bringing more mood and atmosphere to the collection of songs, and the big, electric chorus helps it to keep the energy up and the melodicism of the album at the forefront. About two-thirds of the way through the track, the tempo builds and leads into a tasteful guitar solo, perhaps the best on the album, before the song smoothly transitions back into its slower, bluesy swagger. A fitting centerpiece for the album. 

Coming on the heels of Blue Sky, Eat You Alive is a welcome burst of power and speed. The big, burly guitars are driven forward again by Svensson’s urgent drumming. It’s worth mentioning here that the production on the album perfectly matches the arena-ready songs on Night Stalker, helping to lift the muscular riffs and belted choruses into the stratosphere.

Turn Me On leans into Teaser Sweet’s 1980s sensibilities, reminding one of a Pat Benatar or Lita Ford tune. The band shows yet again that they are at the height of their craft when building up to big choruses led by the tuneful but powerful wails of Damberg. The band also excels at sequencing the album, with shorter, more energetic songs providing a nice respite from the slower, longer songs on the album.

Killer Machine does not quite have the staying power of the other tracks on the album, but it is by no means offensive to the ears. A familiar track about the power of hard rocking glory, it is comforting without getting too inventive. Some editing of the song’s length down would have been helpful, as at nearly 5 minutes it overstays its welcome a little too long. All that being said, there are some truly tasty guitar licks in this song, helping that longer run time feel earned.

Cold is the Fire closes the album out with a mighty roar. Once again, the harmonizing vocals steal the show and give this motorik song unique character. The galloping guitar riff at the center of the song also keeps the fire alive throughout the track. Add to that one of the catchiest choruses on the album and you’ve got the recipe for a great closing track.

Conclusion

Night Stalker is an uplifting and engaging listening experience from front to back. While some of the tracks run just a hair too long, every song has its moment in the spotlight. It’s easy to hit play over again after each listen once this album works its way into your brain. Fans of Sanhedrin, Ruby the Hatchet, and Lucifer will definitely find much here to enjoy. Between the burly guitar riffs, sing-along choruses, and propulsive drumming, the album keeps up the energy through 9 tracks of hard rocking heavy metal fun.

TheNWOTHM Score: 8.5/10 

Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teasersweetband

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teaser_sweet/

Label: https://www.hrrecords.de/

Out 25 April 2025

Line-up:
Therese Damberg – Vocals
Marcus Damberg – Lead Guitar
Hampus Steenberg – Bass & Background Vocals
Kent Svensson – Drums