Rollerball: Structurally Sound.

Rollerball launch Superstructure at The Zoo on Friday, the Sands Tavern, Maroochydore on Saturday and the Rose’n’Crown, Surfers Paradise on Sunday.

“We’re always going to have elements of Oz Rock and elements of the seventies metal kind of thing. This album leans more on the side of Oz Rock. That doesn’t mean the next time we record something it won’t end up going the other way.”

So states Rollerball guitarist Dave on their long overdue debut album Superstructure.

“We’ve always been into Oz Rock. We’re really into the whole Australian identity in music. It’s always been something that’s really cool. We wanted to get an authentic Australian sound, you know that Albert’s kind of thing where it’s live in the studio. Big amps, not too overdriven.”

With Superstructure Rollerball have delivered their proverbial monster. From the opening riffs of Lounge Room Lifer, Superstructure thunders with mammoth riffing and slacker attitude. But that’s not all you’re going to find. Rollerball stretch out and deliver some truly classic tones, more than making the wait worth while.

“We finished it back in July before we went and played a few shows down in the snow while it was getting mastered. It’s done, thank God,” Dave notes. “We’re at least ten months or a year behind schedule, really, with the whole plan.”

Part of the delay in the completion of the disc was a change in the bands line up following the departure of former bassist Gav.

“He’s gone searching for the ultimate perfectly poured tap beer. So we’ve now got a guy called Stu in the band. He’s known Cameron, our drummer, for years. They used to play in blues bands together. It was just a natural thing for him to come into the band. We’re looking forward to writing some songs with him as well.”

So was the song writing for Superstructure completed before he joined the band?

“Yeah, there’s some songs on the record that are two years old. Some of it was thrown together at the last minute, but there’s five or six songs on the album that we’ve been playing at shows for years. They were always intended to be on the record. It was probably good waiting the extra time because there’s stuff on there now that I’m glad we have. It’s a bit of a spread, but I don’t think you can pick the ages.”

“Actually, there’s one song on the record called Daisy Chain, and some people have said ‘I can see you’ve got a new one there and that’s going to be a new direction’,” he chuckles. “But that’s one of the first Rollerball songs ever written. It was just sitting on the backburner since about 1998.”

For a band with their musical hearts set a couple of decades in the past, I have to ask… what would be your recommended seventies listening if you had to narrow it down to a handful of bands?

“For me personally, I think there’s have to be something from Bachman Turner Overdrive, perhaps Four Wheel Drive,” he laughs. “If you like good old fashioned dumb riffs it’s the go. Kiss Rock & Roll Over is always a win. What else… It’s hard to narrow it down. Probably some Thin Lizzy, some AC/DC. Basically the little juke box in my head is always cranking the latest hit of 1978. It was so simplistic, the music then. Even early stadium rock is very simplistic. I love it.”

“You’ve only got to see something like that new AC/DC Stiff Upper Lip video and see all there German folks getting off on the riffs and the fists in the air. Heads moving up and down. That’s what I like. Nice and simple.”