If you ever doubted that blues music is a language of the soul which knows no boundaries, check out Portugal’s XXL Blues. They play raucous, rocking, king-sized blues-rock numbers with heaps of attitude and loudness levels approaching the limits of human hearing.

XXL Blues II, the sequel to their self-titled full length, contains 10 songs of pure badassery, sung mostly in Portuguese. The tempo is lively, the mood is playful, and the tunes rock hard.

Our only gripe with the record is the overly edgy production which makes the band’s guitar-driven blues rock a little harsh on the ears. It can certainly do with a bit of polish without messing up its authenticity in the slightest.

Other than that, XXL Blues clearly know what’s up and present heaps of energy that’s as catchy as rabies. Well done! Definitely give these rascals a chance whenever you find yourself in the mood to rawk.

Horns Up: Loud, in-your-face blues rock tunes that are super lively and catchy.

Horns Down: Scratchy production quality makes the songs a little grating on the ears.