The Swedish AOR rockers are back with album number seven. Their Napalm Records debut is set to be released on Friday, but there was no way we weren’t checking this out early, given the chance. I’ve been a fan for a few years now and am excited to finally be able to review them.
After a departure-room intro track, ‘Stratus’ bursts in in prog rock brilliance, reminding me immediately of both Rush and The Who. However, it still maintains an 80s level of synth-rock awesomeness, too. It sounds MASSIVE and the main riff is awesome. It all builds to an arena-filling, hugely catchy chorus, the melodies and harmonies all sounding incredible. I absolutely love the arrangement throughout, the synth making everything sound so big and epic. The guitar solo is awesome, fitting the track perfectly and breaking up the amazing verses. It was the perfect choice to open this album; an immediate highlight and a track that easily makes the playlist!
‘Shooting Velvet’ continues the same vibe as the opener, the guitar and synth working perfectly together on an awesome riff! The vocals kick in and sound just as good, too. I’ll tell you what it reminds me of; 80s fight movie montage music. Like it’s ripped straight from Rocky or even cobra Kai. The chorus is incredible, so catchy and made to be played to huge stadium and festival crowds. And of course we get another awesome guitar solo tucked in the middle. It’s another amazing song, and the band are so far two for two for highlights!
‘Like the Beating of a Heart’ is yet another neon drenched, sunset-strip era glam rock anthem. It would fit so well if we got an updated Rock of Ages musical. The chorus is yet again soft rock awesomeness, and I can’t not gush over another great guitar solo, a bit slower and fitting the tone of the song so well!
The same sort of thing can be said about ‘Melbourne, May I?’, ‘Miraculous’ and ‘Paloma’. All three are awesome tracks, with the latter being another HUGE highlight of the album. It was also a touch different, being a bit slower and feeling like more of a ballad. However, it was at this point in the album that I was starting to feel a little like it was all getting a touch samey. I’ve loved every track, but there has been little variety aside from ‘Paloma’ (kinda) so far.
The rest of the album continued with kinda the same energy, too. Don’t get me wrong, there was some more change in tempo, which was certainly appreciated. There are certainly some more bangers in the latter half too, including the absolute funky bop that is ‘A Paris Point of View’. However, it is again still kinda samey. There certainly isn’t a bad track on the album, but for my easily-distracted brain it’s maybe a track or two too long, or it needed a little more variety in it. Heck, even just move the beautiful, prog masterpiece of a closing ballad deeper into the album to break it up a bit more. Still, as I said, it’s all fantastic soft/glam rock music!
Overall: This is awesome! Even with the few minor gripes I had with this album, it’s damn good, and solidly entertaining throughout. It’s packed full of amazing tracks and, as long and similar as it is, I couldn’t think of a single one to cut out of it. I liked that it all ran with the same theme too, and said theme fit the music and band as a whole perfectly. I’ll be listening to this is a lot more in the coming weeks and months, and this is a must for anyone into any of the genres I’ve mentioned earlier. It’ll certainly be up there in the discussion of the albums of the year list come December!
One of the last weeks of 2023 and we still have plenty of great new music to check out. Let’s dive right in!
Peter Gabriel: i/o
This has been a LOOOOONG time coming. Originally being spoke about in 2002 after the release of his previous album, it’s believed Gabriel started work on the album as early as 1995. 21 years between releases, especially when actively working on new music, is insane. Tool and System of a Down fans have nothing on Peter Gabriel fans, it seems!
The OG Genesis frontman put out a very interesting release after all that time, at least. It’s a double album, but the tracks on each mirror each other. However, both discs have a different mix of each track. It’s definitely an interesting idea, though does make for a long, somewhat exhausting listen for me. I was never the biggest Genesis or Gabriel fan when it came to full albums, and this is no different. Each disc is over an hour long, and all the expectedly similar slow, soft prog rock. I know this will have a lot of fans as it’s similar to all of his previous stuff, but it’s not for me at all. If you’re going to check out any of it, ‘The Court’ is probably the best of the bunch. 3.5/10
P.S. I also honestly didn’t hear enough of a difference in the mix to warrant putting out two different versions. The Dark-side mixes were generally a little more subtle so I gravitated towards them slightly more, but it really doesn’t actually matter. Sorry.
Full of Hell and Nothing: When No Birds Sang
Two widely different bands came together to form this album. The former is a grindcore band and a modern legend in their scene. The other is a Shoegaze band (Yes, I too had to Google what the hell Shoegaze is). To my absolute shock, the genres actually combine together surprisingly well. Much like Gabriel above, it’s not exactly my sort of thing. However, the dark, brooding, atmospheric tone throughout the album is awesome, and makes tracks like ‘Forever Well’ and ‘When No Birds Sang’ rather enjoyable. Honestly, I’d probably enjoy this collaboration more than either of their solo stuff. As an album as a whole, it’s far greater than any of its individual tracks. And for that, it easily gets a 7/10 from us!
Dowsing: No One Said This Would Be Easy
The Chicagoan indie/emo/punk band are back with their fifth album. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a band in the genre. It reminds me a lot of Taking Back Sunday’s more recent releases, but injected with an almost skater punk energy at times too. I can hear everything from Goldfinger to Flagpole Sitta.
The tracks are short and sweet, none even reaching the four minute mark, and are very to the point. And, most importantly, they’re all good songs. Tracks like ‘Being Real’ and the beautifully depressing ‘RMT’ are personal album highlights for me, but there isn’t a bad track on here. Sure, it carries on this week’s trend of being all pretty similar music, but it’s hard to complain when it’s all of this high a calibre. If anyone wants some good depressing music, especially when it’s rather chilled and up-tempo, you need to check this out immediately. 8/10
The Alchemy: Somewhere // Anywhere
We’ve already covered this awesome album! Check it out here.
Beans on Toast: The Toothpaste and the Tube
Owen: Self proclaimed foolhardy folk singer Beans on Toast is back with his annual instalment of simple songs and catchy rhymes with a message. Releasing an album every year on his birthday since 2009, fans of Beans already know what they are in for with this album given the state of world politics and events of this year. Thankfully, there are tracks of levity simply about good times had touring around the country and still finding new things to explore.
Having followed the career of Beans on Toast for a number of years now what stood out to me most about this release was the polished sound of the overall production. The tracks are very much still classic Beans but with a backing band and an eclectic assortment of other supporting instruments the album is given an elevated feeling when compared with previous releases. A stand out track for me is ‘The Golden Lion’, which tells an interesting story about pub found along his travels and the regulars met there. This one feels like a story that only Beans on Toast could tell in any effective manner. 8/10
Liam Cromby: What Can I Trust, If I Can’t Trust True Love
The debut album of the British indie singer-songwriter is finally here after much anticipation. After multiple singles released in the build-up throughout the year, I can’t wait to check out the whole album and see if it’s just as good!
Honestly, it’s a fun yet incredibly emotional release. Whether it’s slow, folky ballads like ‘At This Table’ or more up-tempo bangers like the opener, it’s diverse and constantly interesting. And yet it all feels like one cohesive release. Everything flows together perfectly and the same story and emotion is felt throughout. And it’s a truly beautiful, chilled-out release, too. It’s the perfect combination of British and American indie sounds, folk and even Americana and country.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tad slow overall for my liking. It did get a little samey by the last couple of tracks or so. However, it is the perfect album tor relax to, as there really isn’t a bad track on it. And if you’re into this sort of music, you’ll absolutely love this. And for that reason, it’s a solid 7.5/10
Cobra Spell: 666
The second coming of the 80’s glam metal revival is in full swing, and these ladies are really proving to be leading the pack. Whether it’s awesome riffs, soaring vocals or insane leads, the band encapsulate the very best of the sunset strip sound from decades prior. Whether it’s Guns ‘n Roses, Whitesnake or Motley Crue, the band certainly wear their inspirations on their sleeve. However, they still have a modern twist to their sound, also reminding me a little of the likes of Inglorious and Wayward Sons. And I’d put these tracks up there with some of the top glam tracks from all the bands I’ve mentioned.
‘Satan is a Woman’, ‘Bad Girl Crew’ and ‘Warrior From Hell’ are modern glam classics and easily highlights of the album. Meanwhile ‘Fly Away’ is an epic, emotional, awesome ballad. As a debut album, this is incredibly impressive. Their sound is incredible and they all play their parts perfectly. The band have a very bright future ahead of them if this release is anything to go by, the sky is the limit. And, in terms of this release, it’s a very easy 9/10!
Plastic Barricades: We Stayed Indoors
The British indie rock band released their third album this last week. We’re actually a little familiar with the band here at Overtone, as I reacted to one of the singles of this album way back at the start of the year (find it below!). I remember loving the track at the time so can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.
Much like a lot of the music this week, it’s a pretty chilled out, atmospheric release. It feels like the perfect blend of modern indie and old school, 70s and 80s pop. Think Pulp, The Cure or even Bowie meets Almost Monday or The Gaslight Anthem. Tracks like ‘Forever Is Made of Nows’ and of course my favourite, ‘Lucid in the Fall’, are major highlights for me. I’m honestly shocked they’re not bigger, as this sound is really starting to come back in a major way. This album deserves to be the one to catapult them into the mainstream! It’s an honestly beautiful album and, while not quite my sort of thing, I can still appreciate how amazing it is. 8/10
The punk/hard rock flamenco band are back with their brand new album, to be released tomorrow. I’ve been a fan of the band for a few years now, ever since seeing them at a HRH event a couple of years back. And since then, Gypsy Pistoleros have gained more and more momentum with each passing month, so it seems. So, let’s dive into this album together and see what it’s like!
The album’s title track kicks things off with a slow build guitar riff, immediately giving the collection an epic feel. The quicker, punkier pace explodes in, setting up a simple yet fun, bouncy verse. It all leads to a catchy chorus that gives off big Pretty Boy Floyd vibes. A pretty decent guitar solo is nestled in the middle of the track, and the dropped-down bridge with the vocals and clapping is great. I feel like it would all go over so well live! It’s a great way to not only open the album, but also introduce anyone unfamiliar with the band to their particular brand of noise.
A drum fill leads to another upbeat, mid-tempo track with ‘I Got it All’. It’s very glam/sleaze/AOR, and I see why the band are so popular with the HRH crowd, it is right up that street in terms of sound. Unfortunately the chorus doesn’t differentiate itself that much to the rest of the track, so it doesn’t quite feel as big as the previous track’s. Still though, the Spanish fit pretty perfectly in, and it’s still a damn enjoyable track! And the ‘lalala’ing is still catchy.
‘Revolution’ opens straight into a great, sleazy riff. The whole track drips with attitude and is put together perfectly with the drop-out verses and massive, simple, catchy chorus. I love all of the vocals in this track, and the backing and harmonies throughout add so much to them, too. The bridge goes pretty hard, something I’d again love to see live; a pit for it would be awesome! It’s my favourite track on the album so far, and easily makes our playlist.
The band go back to their punky, glam side with ‘What’s it Like to be a Girl’. There are again plenty of catchy vocals, mainly from the backing and harmonies. The interplay between them and Gypsy Lee is a lot of fun in this track. It all builds into a pretty great chorus too, the distorted guitars and huge drums coming in to fill out the rock sound. There isn’t much to this track, it’s just a fun, stomping rock track.
I’m already familiar with ‘The Ballad of Tommy Shelby’, having checked out the single when it was released. The slower, jazzy, bluesy clean open is amazing, and I’ve loved it since I first heard it. And the way it explodes into the faster, almost Rancid-like punky stuff after a minute is great. Again, the backing vocals are a massive highlight, especially with the ‘woh’s. It makes everything so fun and catchy. The dynamics between the cleaner, slower stuff and the balls-to-the-wall punk throughout is awesome, too. It’s a really good track, and definitely the right choice for a single. Another that easily makes the playlist!
Tracks ‘Like Tears in the Rain’ and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ are both awesome, heavier punk numbers. They fit in perfectly with the album, but I’m struggling to say much about them that I haven’t already mentioned about previous songs.
‘Thrill Kill Killer Club’ is the heaviest track on the album and was a nice change of pace. It has more of a Motorhead vibe to it which was a lot of fun. And yet, it is still pretty catchy through the chorus. The Nancy Sinatra reference in the middle was a nice touch, too! It’s another track that easily makes our playlist!
The final Gypsy Pistoleros track on the album is the token ballad, ‘I’ll Remember You’. Honestly, it’s a really well written track and a sound that fits the band perfectly. The heavy riffing in and out of the chorus is awesome, and it’s all very catchy. It’s an incredible track, and I’d have honestly loved this to have been the closer, as it does have a rather epic, finale feel to it.
However, the album instead finishes on the band’s cover of ‘Come on Eileen’. Honestly, I’m not a fan of it. It’s such a MASSIVE, popular song that it’s so hard to do and not pale in comparison to the original. Also, I’m a big ska punk fan, so Save Ferris’ cover will always hold a special place in my heart. The track is good and I appreciate the effort to try and make it different, but it isn’t for me.
Overall: This was a lot of fun! The band occupy an interesting space currently where practically no one else in the UK underground scene is sounding like this, especially as a newer band. And they do said sound impressively well, and have crafted one hell of an album. It’s full of catchy moments, great playing, and genuine emotion. I can see why they are getting some serious momentum in the scene now!
Part four of our Call of the Wild 2022 interviews sees us talking to the headliners Reckless Love! Check out as we talk about their latest album, their plans for touring and their sabbatical!
What’s it like to finally be playing the festival?
Yeah, I mean it’s the first festival of the season and our first show in the UK for I don’t know how many years. At least four years. It’s the first time we’ve flown abroad since 2020. So super special!
You’ve just put out a new album, it seems to have gone down pretty well?
Yeah, the feedback has been amazing. Following the streaming numbers it’s been the best streaming by far from any of our albums.
It’s been 6 years since the the last album. We toured for two, two and a half years after the last album, InVader, which came out in 2016. After that we decided to have a sabbatical for a year, year and a half, because we had been touring for like eight years in a row. So we took the time to step back and get some fresh inspiration.
Then of course we booked a huge tour for 2020 that was supposed to be the ten year anniversary of the first album. We all know how it ended up. So it ended up being six years away from the studio. We never wanted the break to be that long but sometimes it goes like this. It can be really frustrating, and it was at times, but we’re really happy that we made it back.
Has the tour been pushed back then?
Yeah, we just skipped the whole anniversary thing and it’s now called the Turborider tour. We’ve got the new album out, why not celebrate it!
We’re back over here in late August and we’re starting the European tour from here. We’re going for like 5 weeks and we plan on just playing and touring all year.
Check out our last interview with Archy and the Astronauts here.
What would you say the music scene is like at the minute?
We’ve actually only done five shows in Finland before this one. It’s quite literally a fresh start for us.
When it comes to the music scene, the creative break that everyone was forced to take was actually really good for the business. The actual business side of things is in a sad state, so many sound engineers and backliners and technicians have gone out of business. So many bands have quit. But then again we’ve all had more time to dig deeper into our influences to actually create something new. Get inspired in new ways.
We’ve seen in these few shows that people are so enthusiastic coming out to these shows. They’re craving for it. At first it feels like people are a bit afraid, looking around like ‘there are so many people in this room, can we actually be here?’. Then after three songs they’re like this is fucking good!
Is there anything we can expect for tonights show and for the tour?
Of course we’re going to do some old ‘classics’. We’re never going to forget the parts which got us here. But yeah, we’ve got some new stuff on the live set and some new drum sounds and some cool stuff that we purchased for the new album. And so the old songs sound fresh as well. It’s like a hybrid of the synthwave style. A turbocharged Reckless Love gig!
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The Swedish glam-metal band have been going a while now, having changed vocalists for a third time before their last album, Rust. Most bands would struggle after losing the frontman that brought the band the biggest fame (heck, just look at Iron Maiden), but Crashdiet have seemed to thrive with Gabriel Keyes at the helm. The singles from this album have got me excited and I cannot wait to review it. Check it out with us!
After a brief intro track, ‘Together Whatever’ rips into a surprisingly heavy riff, sounding closer to power metal than sleaze. However as soon as Gabriel comes in on vocals it is undoubtedly glam-metal. His voice adds somehow both polish and attitude to the instrumentation. A great build through the verse and pre leads to a fantastically catchy chorus. The backing ‘oh’s are great and very glam while the lead and backing vocals are just as catchy. The guitar solo between the second and last choruses is just as fantastic as one would come to expect from the genre, bridging the gap perfectly. Overall a very enjoyable radio hit and one that easily makes the playlist!
‘Shine On’ opens with an 80s electro-style synth before a great, heavy riff comes in over the top. The verse is steady again, focused heavily on the vocals as the drums and guitars are pretty simple and driving. It leads to another catchy chorus, the ‘hey’s most likely being fun to join in with live. After a brief guitar solo it drops down to the electro bit for a moment. Then an almost Iron Maiden-like riff and vocal line builds us back to the final chorus and outro. Another fantastic song!
Next up is lead single ‘No Man’s Land’. Right out the gate we are hit with two fantastic, heavy riffs, somehow combining Bon Jovi and Dream Theater. It follows the same structure as the previous two tracks, dropping down for the verses before building into huge choruses. It’s another good choice for a single as it’s got a stadium-filling, catchy chorus, a great guitar solo and some damn punchy riffs.
Check out a similar review of comedy NWOCR band Bootyard bandits here
‘Darker Minds’ changes the pace slightly, just enough to keep it interesting. It isn’t quite a ballad but it is markedly slower than the previous tracks and the chorus is almost uplifting in its melody. It’s the closest thing to all-out glam on the album so far and is very catchy. I have a weakness for a Bon Jovi/Motley Crue style chorus and this very much delivers that, pushing the track onto our playlist!
‘Dead Crusade’ while still a very good track, is more of the same. I would say the same about ‘Powerline’, but at least it features a fun guest slot from Steal Panthers Michael Starr. The man’s iconic voice is as strong as ever and blends very well with both Gabriel’s and the music behind them!
‘Resurrection of the Damned’ is another fine track. However, it does bare at least some resemblance to the similarly titled Skid Row track ‘We Are the Damned’. It isn’t an issue at all, but I struggled to get the other track out of my head upon the initial listen or two.
‘We Die Hard’ is another track with a heavily Bon Jovi chorus, which I massively appreciated. Outside of that there isn’t much to talk about with the track, though. The opposite could be said for ‘Shell Shock’. While there are better choruses on the album, the riff is incredible and the heaviness was great. Between the solid drumming, multiple great rhythm parts and fun backing vocals, it will most likely go down as an underappreciated gem this late on the album. Playlisted.
Another standard track in ‘Unbroken’ gives way to the album closer, ‘I Can’t Move On’. It’s a ballad, and oh boy is it a slow one. Yes, it picks up and adds some distortion or the final chorus, but before that it was just vocals and a guitar. If this was earlier on in the album it would have been perfect, but why do bands insist on having 10 songs that are all the same one after another and then have the only different one right at the end? A good song but leaves the album out on a whimper instead of a bang, especially when it fades out instead of a big finish.
Overall: This was great. Crashdiet found their stride immediately with Gabriel but this was as strong an output as Rust, arguably better. A band who know what they are about and are very good at writing music around that. I cannot wait to hear it live!
The Score: 8/10
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