ARTIST: SHOGUN MOJO
ALBUM: SHOGUN MOJO
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 6TH 2026
LABEL: FRONTIERS
REVIEWER: ROD STRACHAN
The self-titled debut album by Shogun Mojo, released via Frontiers Music Srl, brings together an unexpected and powerhouse pairing: former KISS lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and Dan Reed of the Dan Reed Network. The band is rounded out by a Sweden-based rhythm section featuring bassist Bengt Jonasson and drummer Robert
Ikiz.
The group was built on a simple philosophy—getting into a room together and playing music the way bands did back in the 1970s. Rather than trading heavily on past glories or sounding like a sterile, over-produced corporate supergroup, the record carries an organic, loose, and live-in-the-studio feel. Musically, the ten-track record lives up to its opening statement, “Funk Party,” by fusing late-70s and 80s hard rock with a prominent, swaggering funk-and-soul groove.
Reed’s soulful, blues-inflected vocals give the material a warm, ambient pulse.
Meanwhile Thayer dispenses with Spaceman-era expectations to deliver tasteful, crunchy riffs and a guitar solo on every single track. Standout cuts like “Under the Gun,” “Gonna Raise Hell,” and “Nothing to See Here” keep things direct and unpretentious, relying on big, driving hooks rather than self-indulgent multi-minute epics that would take the gloss away from the promise shown here.
One of the album’s most daring diversions sits right at the center with a fun, unconventional cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”. Rather than attempting a note-for-note replica of the moody original, Shogun Mojo puts it through their own groove-heavy paces, flanked by heavier, muscular bookends like “Dog Eat Dog” and “Fire with Fire”.
While critics are split, some praising the unpretentious classic-rock attitude while others feel the mid-album momentum dips or lacks a bit of fire, the record never overstays its welcome or clocks in at an exhausting length (seven of the ten tracks clocking in at under 4 minutes each in length). Another highlight is the band’s ability to write lyrics that include the bands name in “Fight for the Light” fits perfectly. The guys save the best for last with the temperamental “Star Rider” featuring a solo that gives the preverbal to certain purists from the past.
Ultimately, Shogun Mojo succeed because it sounds like veteran musicians having genuine fun without the crushing weight of legacy expectations. It bridges the gap between classic arena-rock crunch and slick R&B-infused rhythm sections, offering a breezy, deeply infectious listen. If you want unvarnished guitar work fused together
with rock and roll that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this debut delivers a rewarding spin.
