The third studio album of Phil Campbell and his sons (and Joel Peters) has a lot of hype surrounding it. Their previous two releases have been stellar, and the rumours of a new album had been floating around all year before it being announced in June. I’ve been a fan of the band since it’s inception, even getting the chance to interview Dane and Tyla back last year (find it here), so I’ve as excited as anything to be checking this out!
Opener ‘Walking in Circles’ builds up perfectly through a quick riff, slowly adding drums, bass and lyrics before exploding in with a HUGE, faster second verse. It leads to a very Bastard Sons chorus too, catchy yet still maintaining that attitude, speed and swagger. I love that Phil Campbell manages to channel his old Motorhead style into a more modern sound. The half-time, stomping drums in the bridge/chorus are nothing short of tasty and add a great, fun dynamic to the track. We get a typically great, sleazy guitar solo from the main man, and a fun double chorus closes things out. A great start to the album!
An awesome riff opens ‘Too Much is Never Enough’, forming the crux of the track perfectly through the verses. It all builds into a chanting chorus, it being very catchy and will go down a storm live. It’s a straight up Motorhead style rock ‘n’ roll track; under three minutes, quick and straight to the point. It has got another great solo but honestly, there isn’t much to say about it. It’s simply foot-stomping goodness.
Single ‘Hammer And Dance’ is next up. I loved this track since the first listen, and honestly think it’s the stronger of the two singles. It’s so Velvet Revolver’s ‘Slither’ that I can’t not love it. It’s a sick main riff, HUGE, catchy chorus and overall just another speedy, heavy rock song. The two, yes two, guitar solos are amazing and remind me a lot of Slash in Guns n’ Roses. There’s a bit more of a sleaze edge to this album that I’m loving a lot. It’s a big highlight of the album and easily makes the playlist!
‘Strike the Match’ is a touch slower than what we’ve had so far, reminding me more of an AC/DC track than anything else in it’s pace and structure. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still the trademark chugging, but it feels a little more lighter than most Phil Campbell tracks. Maybe it has something to do with them doing Hawkwind’s ‘Silver Machine’ so much live recently? It’s an infectiously catchy track, too. The chorus is awesome. I feel like it’s another track that will go down a storm live. Especially with the chanting in the bridge. It’s another highlight track for sure.
Lead single ‘Schizophrenia’ is of course a great one. Anyone who is a fan of the band has heard this countless times already, like I have. Big riffs, heavy drums and plenty of catchy vocal lines. It’s really an antithesis track of what Phil Campbell and his band are all about, and it’s a great choice for a single. It’s hard to say much about it though that I haven’t already said about previous tracks. It is a great, fun track, but a lot like the others so far!
The same could be said for ‘Show No Mercy’, ‘No Guts! No Glory!’ and ‘Ghosts’. None are bad tracks at all. In fact all are great songs. They’re just very Phil Campbell and kinda formulaic of the stuff he’s been doing for three albums now. It’s hard to talk about them without repeating myself too much!
The title track is a little sludgy, reminding me of a slightly heavier ‘Dark Days’. Phil Campbell is such a master of riffs, getting so much varied emotion out of his guitar and his writing. This track is real no exception, it definitely being darker than much of the album. ‘Dark Days’ is one of my favourite tracks from the band and while it’s not quite as good, it’s still a damn catchy song! The solo is the real highlight of the track for me too. The way it flows through the riffs and ebbs with feeling is amazing. It’s definitely going on the playlist!
‘The Hunt’ feels like a straight-up Motorhead track with modern production. It’s balls-to-the-wall throughout, not pausing to really even take a breath. The drums are fast and heavy and the riff, while simple, is heavy and fantastic. The soloing is amazing. I LOVED this and HAVE to see it live. In the right crowd, it’d go down a storm. If it could get a pit, it’d be insane. Another playlisted track!
Album closer ‘Manic’ was another foot-stomping lighter rock track like ‘Strike the Match’. It had a bit more of that Motorhead punk edge to things, but was definitely lighter than a lot of the album. The punkness may have been because of the vocals/lyrics, though! They’re childish in the best way and a lot of fun, saying what I’m sure a lot of listeners have wanted to at one time or another. It works perfectly as a closer but, honestly, I’d have put it earlier on as they could easily have a hit on their hands with it!
Overall: I really enjoyed this! I’ve seen a lot of love for this album online so maybe slightly controversial opinion time… I didn’t enjoy it as much as We’re the Bastards. As fun as this album is, I liked the variety of their previous release more. From the thrashy ‘Hate Machine’ to the more blues/southern ‘Born to Roam’ to the slower, epic closer, it had more peaks and troughs and kept me more interested throughout. Still, this is a damn good album with some sure-fire hits for the band. There are a lot of highlights and I’ll be listening to it for a while to come!
The Score: 7.5/10