Norwegian band Glasgow Kiss release their debut album Down In Flames next week. Formed in 2020 in Bergen, Norway, they released their first EP Fury to critical acclaim in 2022.
The band members have brought their diverse musical background to Glasgow Kiss; not least hard rock, black metal, thrash, pop metal and even classic pop. All of this helps them create their own sound, one laden with heavy rhythm and power-hungry guitar grooves and topped off with the emotive and rich vocals of Charlotte Marlen Midtun. For this reason, it is difficult to shoehorn Glasgow Kiss into a genre. For me; they firmly waver between alt metal and modern hard rock with an occasional helping of classic rock and power metal.
Down In Flames was produced by the band and then mixed/mastered at The Norwegian Sound studio by Peter Michelsen (Rat City, Madelene, Byting).
The eight-track Down In Flames offers up reflections of life and pain, but at the same time, there is often a hopefulness coming through as well. The first track Destiny hits hard with heavy groove and power riffs overlaid by Midtun’s powerful vocals.
Following on, the title track Down In Flames has a slower, yet power-driven tempo, and the final bridge seems to shift the track, both musically and vocally, away from hard rock and into metal. Like a number of tracks on the album, this song also has an incredibly catchy chorus. Followed up by On Your Own, this is ballad-like at times, although it remains guitar-driven and at times seems more like power metal.
The power focus continues into The Wall and then shifts away for One Last Time. For me, this track, with its haunting key and guitar lines is the archetypal classic rock track on the album and showcases how easily Glasgow Kiss can shift across genres. Moving onto Forsaken, the pace kicks up again. This is probably one of my favourite tracks from the album and you can check out the official video for it here:
The penultimate Those Wasted Years is another notable track, and the album wraps up with Put The Blame On Me, which opens up with a corker of a drumline underpinning a power metal track. Glasgow Kiss are recommended as being for fans of Halestorm, Nightwish and Within Temptation, but I would say they are certainly worth checking out – whatever your rock and metal tastes are.
Just like their namesake euphemism, Glasgow Kiss’ debut album Down In Flames certainly hits hard and fast, and at the same time has earned them a rightful place on the ‘new bands to watch list’.
Track listing:
- Destiny
- Down In Flames
- On Your Own
- The Wall
- One Last Time
- Forsaken
- Those Wasted Years
- Put the Blame On Me
Line Up:
- Charlotte Marlen Midtun (Vocals)
- Daniel Anker Goli (Guitar)
- Sveinung Sveen (Guitar)
- John Erik Soltvedt (Bass)
- Frode Andreassen (Drums)
Down In Flames is released 12th December 2025 and you can check it out on the usual platforms including Spotify and Apple and to find out more about Glasgow Kiss, check out their Instagram, Facebook or X.
“Just like their namesake euphemism, Glasgow Kiss’ debut album Down In Flames certainly hits hard and fast, and at the same time has earned them a rightful place on the ‘new bands to watch list’.”
Special thanks to Eclipse Records.
