Stephen A year after their formation, Swedish sleaze rockers, Hardcore Circus, released their first album ever, 'Wake Up Call', in 2010. Bolstered by southern hard rock hooks a la Buckcherry, twisted with sleazy attitude, and powered by enough modern melodies, the band that was led by Jorgen Bolmstad who acts as their lead singer and also rhythm guitarist brings fresh ingredients to the table. Some songs are pretty good but what lacks inside Circus camp is a prominent songwriting machine because out of ten tracks here, the band suffered with imbalance in songs quality, especially on the second half.

'She Goes Down' and 'Queen of Dirt' are acceptable openers. Both songs move smoothly into the average hard rock territory, a safe arrangement, not very risky, but still far from outstanding. 'Who I Am', no doubt is the grand champion of the album. The overflown energy and ass-kicking arrangement that this song possesses is the main reason why this track alone elevates the whole album. 'Under My Skin' is another good midtempo semi-ballad, and 'Miracle' is probably even better.

The sixth song, 'Hardcore Circus', is packed with tense riffs, fast-paced tempo, but unfortunately lack of memorable hooks. This song could be better but overall still an enjoyable one. However, tracks like 'Life' or 'Wake Up Call' are passable fillers, and 'Pain' or 'Tattooed Junkie' aren't much better at all. It's a shame because if they have at least two better tracks or more, the whole rating will be higher. A decent debut!