Tag Archives: new album

Initiation: Are Napalm’s newest stars about to shoot for the stars?

18th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

Canadian Punk-metallers Sumo Cyco has garnered a lot of attention and buzz recently after having signed a contract with Napalm Records. They have since begun to establish themselves among the next crop of new bands breaking into the mainstream. Now, with their third album being released earlier this year, Initiation, they look to firmly establish themselves among the leaders of the pack. I have been a fan of this band for a few years now after discovering them at Download Festival, though I have to admit I haven’t been fully sold by the singles I have heard from Initiation up to this point. Let’s hope a second listen will change my mind!

‘Love you Wrong’ was the first single to be released way back in 2019, and somehow I haven’t heard this one yet. It starts things off surprisingly very positively. It bursts straight in with Skye’s harsher style of vocals (something I’d always preferred over her trying to sound like Benji Webbe) and a simple yet great-sounding guitar and bass riff behind it. It has a great groove to it but still sounds pretty heavy and epic. The vocals are a little cleaner for the chorus, but it’s pretty catchy and the screamed backing vocals added some great dynamics. It strips back after the second chorus, slowing down momentarily and having a cleaner guitar and basic drums. It doesn’t last long, soon getting heavy into an extended bridge. It builds nicely into the huge final chorus to finish things off. I actually enjoyed this a whole lot more than I remember liking any of the other singles, so for that reason, it makes the playlist!

One of the more recent singles (and one I have heard before), ‘Bystander’, is up next. I immediately remembered why I didn’t like this as much. A white Canadian girl pronouncing the word as ‘bystanda’ in an almost too attempted-rasta voice doesn’t really do much for me. I understand how inspired by Skindred this band is, and I applaud them for trying out a style that very few are trying to emulate, but at least don’t try and copy everything down to the accent. However, outside of that, I actually quite like this song. Skye’s harshes have always sounded better to me, and the control she has over her voice to jump between the two at the drop of a hat is impressive. The instrumentation is pretty basic but also pretty heavy, fitting the genre perfectly. I also have to admit that her forced accent is a little more tolerable during the actual choruses when the heaviness of the instruments distracts from it a little. We get an electronic down part after the second chorus, it masterfully building back up in heaviness as it heads into its final double chorus. We get a far too short HEAVY breakdown riff to close things out, too. If I’m honest, I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I remember doing when I first heard it, it’s definitely a grower. So much so that it has also made the playlist!

Another single, ‘Vertigo’, is up next. The opening riff is pretty entertaining and heavy, but the verse doesn’t do a whole lot for me, it just kind of feels just there. If I’m honest, that’s kind of how the chorus feels, too. It’s not as catchy as the other two choruses, despite being the most pop-leaning of the three. Also, there is a bad little rap bit after the second chorus. I’m usually a fan of rap music too, especially in rock, but this didn’t work at all. A final chorus takes us home and ends a song that I wasn’t that big of a fan of.

The most recent pre-release song is up next, ‘Bad News’. Skye again does her best Benji impression and it ruins an otherwise entertaining guitar riff behind it. However, when that riff kicks in properly, it is AWESOME. It’s massively groovy and gives off some clear nu-metal vibes. Much like the previous song, both the verses and choruses are okay but nothing special, just kind of there to have some lyrics around the fantastic riff, by far the highlight of the song. The bridge is pretty average too, outside of the entertaining guitar. Overall it was my least favourite song on the album so far, but heck, it’s still good enough that I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on.

Another single (there are a lot), ‘No Surrender’ is next. I remember I’ve listened to this one before, too. More Skindred-type lyrics start this off, it opening slower and more reserved than most of the others. The lyrics are pretty good here though! The chorus is an improvement on the verse and the previous two, the vocal and guitar melodies working pretty perfectly together to make it pretty damn catchy. The heavy riff and drums for the bridge is good, as are the harsh vocals over the top of them. It then follows the formula, heading into a final chorus before another excellent breakdown finishes things off. An improvement on the last two songs and an enjoyable song for sure!

Halfway through the album and we finally reach the first song that is brand new and hasn’t been released prior, ‘M.I.A.’. It opens on a pretty interesting guitar riff and, while the accent still annoys me, the delivery and timing of the vocals were interesting too, almost giving off a Skints feel to it all. The song stays pretty stripped back and basic throughout; mainly focused around the electronic noises over the usual rock instruments. It also reminds me just a little of Spiders, the weird song on the latest Slipknot album. I think the simple nature works well here, too. Not only does it provide something different; a pallet cleanser mid-album, but it sounds fantastic while doing it. It gets a tad heavier in the final chorus, the distorted guitars coming in behind the rest, but it just adds more depth to the song instead of overshadowing what was already there. This may be one of my favourite songs on the album this far, at least up there with a couple of the others.

Another album track, ‘Cyclone’, opens on a sick riff and easily the best instrumentation work I have ever heard from the band. The riffs sound almost Avenged Sevenfold in their quick, heavy weirdness. Unfortunately, they don’t keep it up, going into a more typical sound for the band through the verses and choruses. Heck, the pre and chorus are so pop they sound like they should be from a completely different song to the guitars. The bridge is more Skindred-but-not-quite-as-good too, and there isn’t much more to the back end of this song, just the usual final chorus to end things. It’s such a shame too because I got so pumped from that opening riff, but the rest of the song ruined it a fair bit for me.

Onto the final pre-released song on the album, and another I’d heard before (admittedly a while back), ‘Run with the Giants’. I remember not liking it all too much upon its release and, after hearing just the intro alone, I can see why. The riff after the intro is pretty interesting and heavy again, but Skye’s vocals come in and kind of ruin it for me, making the instruments drop back out until the chorus. Even the chorus isn’t all too strong here, this is the worst track on the album by quite a margin, in my opinion. I think Skindred does so well because they have a lot of pop and reggae elements to their music, but they are also HEAVY a lot of the time. I felt that with Sumo Cyco’s last album, but outside of a couple of instances this album has basically just been a pop one with guitars in the back. It isn’t a bad thing at all, just simply not for me. Like the breakdown was fairly heavy in this song, but I’d rather enjoy an entire song over just twenty seconds in the middle.

‘Overdrive’ again perfectly encapsulates everything I just said in my previous paragraph, it being a pop/club song masquerading as a punk-metal song due to the inclusion of guitars. The chorus is kind of catchy but nothing more really stands out. Meanwhile, ‘Power and Control’ slows things down a little again, at least at first, and it honestly seems to be where the band excels more. It’s a simple song, a low, slightly receptive verse and a harder, bigger chorus, but it works a hell of a lot better than the last few songs have.

The final song on the album, ‘This Dance is Doomed’, feels like the song that most sounds like their previous album’s material. It’s pretty fast, heavy throughout, and still contains enough hooks and pop melodies that it’s extremely catchy. If anything, I’d have put this as a single over half of the others that actually made the cut. In fact, this may be my favourite song on the album, all things considered. We got a heavy and then a stripped-back bridge before the massively catchy final chorus comes in. Then, an extended, heavy outro takes it home, and this is honestly all I wanted from this album. It’s just a shame it was right at the end! Playlisted!

Overall: this was a real mixed bag, I thought. Much like the other band, they take inspiration from and I have mentioned in this review too many times prior as it is, their style simply doesn’t lend itself to full studio albums, more to live shows and singles. There were definitely some good punk-metal songs on here, and a couple will be up there alongside some of my favourite songs from the band. However, there was also a fair amount of stuff that I didn’t like here. It wouldn’t at all stop me from paying to see them if we ever get a full tour over here, but I shan’t be putting this full album on rotation all that much.

Overall: 6.5/10

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Don’t You Feel Amazing?: Trash Boat’s new album brings rock to the pop masses

16th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

British punk rock band Trash Boat has been heavying up the scene for nearly a decade now. With three albums now under their belt, alongside a handful of EPs and singles, the band has firmly established itself as one of the bright lights of the future. I have to admit that I haven’t listened to this band nearly enough, especially since what I have heard I’ve enjoyed. So, without further ado, here is my review of ‘Don’t You Feel Amazing?’.

The title track of the album opens on a low, pretty heavy bass riff before the vocals and drums come in and drag it surprisingly firmly into indie territory. Even when the main riff kicks in it feels like something that would easily fit in as a heavier track at Ynot Festival. It’s not a bad thing, just a little unexpected given what I have heard from them before. Still, the backing vocals through it were nice, as was the awesome effect on them around a minute in. The chorus is still pretty light but it’s pretty damn catchy, something that would go down a storm live. It reminds me a lot of Lower Than Atlantis, actually. The low bass riff continues through a pretty fun (if simple) guitar solo, one that gets overshadowed by the vocals. They’re still catchy, but I’d have liked to have a tad more lead guitar stuff first. We then get a final, elongated chorus to finish things off. While this was completely different from what I was expecting, it was damn catchy and enjoyable, making the playlist.

One of the lead singles, ‘Silence is Golden’ is immediately the heavier nature of the band I was expecting coming into this. It heads straight into harsher vocals and heavy guitars and drums before another awesome riff comes out the end. This would have been a better opener for the album, for sure. Everything but the guitars and vocals drop out for the first half of the verse, adding some great dynamics into the track. It all builds up pretty well into a HUGE chorus, catchy and fun, even if it was very poppy and the lyrics were cringingly faux-‘hard’ and juvenile. The build-up to the breakdown was pretty great, the preaching vocals always working so well in this style of music. However, the breakdown itself was weak, basic, and not all too heavy, which was a shame. Between it and the lyrics, it kind of put me off the song a little.

The first of two tracks to feature a guest artist, ‘Bad Entertainment’ opens on a fairly entertaining (pun intended) riff. It continues through the verse, adding to the catchiness overall. It all builds into a pretty decent chorus, not quite as catchy as the previous songs’ but still enjoyable. It’s the best part of this otherwise pop song, anyway! Milkie Way (nope, I’m not kidding) comes in for the bridge after the second chorus, feeling like a cheap version of Poppy. I’m sure it was fun for them to work together, but she adds next to nothing to this track that Tobi Duncan couldn’t have done himself. There isn’t much more to this song apart from it getting a little heavier for the final chorus, but it doesn’t last long until it ends. The definition of ‘meh’.

Aside from the catchy opening vocals, there isn’t much I can say about ‘Love Without Needing’ that I didn’t already say about the previous song. It’s a pop song with some slightly heavier, distorted guitars behind the vocals. I mean heck, the vocal melody is eerily reminiscent of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ don’t you think? None of those factors make it a rock song, never mind a punk song. There is nothing punk about this, and that makes me sad.

Lead single ‘He’s So Good’ almost fell under the same criticism of the previous song, until the chorus came into it. It’s still very pop-leaning, but at least the instrumentation is heavier behind it and we get a fairly okay indie riff afterwards. Some of the lyrics feel at least a little heartfelt, but after hearing a couple of interesting lines and Googling the rest, they’re really quite terrible. Another pretty bad song.

‘Vertigo’ is at least another fully rock song, the first one in a good four tracks at this point, but I was that put off by the last few songs that this didn’t build up much goodwill for me. And I’m not even saying pop or pop-rock is bad, it’s just that I’m pretty selective with the genre as a whole, and when I’m expecting an actual rock/punk album a bunch of pop would put me off. So, in summary, ‘Vertigo’ is one of the better songs on the album by proxy.

The second song to feature an artist, this time Kamiyada+ (I don’t know them either) is next. It’s a little heavy again, at least the chorus is, but it’s repetitive as hell and more juvenile, unenjoyable lyrics. I guess the guest is a rapper, as he raps here. It’s surprising the best part of the song, and it’s made me wish I was listening to more of his stuff than this album. Again, this album is fine for what it is, and if anyone likes it then awesome. It’s simply a little too basic and pop-leaning for my taste in rock.

‘Idios’ all but fades into the background aside for a pretty decent breakdown hidden in the middle. It’s more that could be said about ‘Cannibal’ and ‘All I Can Never Be’ though, both of which felt more like something from Kings of Leon or Highly Suspect than a British punk rock band. They were pretty bland, even the choruses not really standing out as others on the album have been better. They felt a tad like filler but were okay for what they were, I guess.

The final single, ‘Synthetic Sympathy’, opens like a Maroon 5 song. And not like their good early stuff either, I’m talking like a modern Maroon 5 song. If it wasn’t for the odd harsher vocal and distorted guitar it may as well have been a Maroon 5 song, too. It’s catchy as heck, don’t get me wrong, but there is VERY little to this song aside from the vocal melody. Even the lead guitar part is just the same thing over and over. It’s a very safe, radio-friendly song. I wouldn’t be opposed to listening to it again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it.

Somehow the final song on the album, ‘Maladaptive Daydreaming’, is the most pop-leaning song on the entire album. It’s just vocals and a VERY basic drumbeat, with the odd guitar chords coming in for the choruses. It’s incredibly formulaic, and a direction I can see a lot of modern rock bands going if this sound is successful here, unfortunately. Again, it isn’t bad, it just bores me. A dull end to an album.

Overall: I wasn’t all too impressed by this. I don’t want to sound like a broken record but it was a pop album, not a rock or punk one. It was fine for what it was, but what it was doesn’t appeal to me. I clearly like this band in small doses, just a few songs here and there, as the albums get boring for me. Oh well, none of it was actually bad!

The Score: 4/10

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Icon of Sin: Brazil’s own brand of NWOCR

13th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

Brazilian heavy metal band Icon of Sin has been stirring up quite the praise over the last few months or so, exploding onto the scene this year with their debut self-titled album. I have to admit that I know very little of them, having found out about them from an ad on my Facebook and thought they sounded good so I added them to my list to review… and here we are. So, after only hearing that snippet of one song, let’s dive into their whole album!

Icon of Sin’s Official Facebook

‘Icon of Sin’ by Icon of Sin off the album entitled Icon of Sin starts us off. The opening reminds me a lot of ‘Still of the Night’, but it soon builds into a more traditional heavy metal riff, think Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. It builds up nicely into a quick riff before dropping out to mainly drums and clean guitar chords. The lead vocalist comes in over the top, the Bruce Dickinson inspiration being clear as I thought I was actually listening to a Maiden song at first. The Bruce-ness continues throughout, honestly blowing my mind a bit as he hits similar low and high notes. The guy would be AMAZING in a tribute band. It almost distracts me from the rest of the music for the first verse though, but from what I could tell it was still all great. The chorus is pretty good, catchy, and more reminiscent of Priest in terms of its structure. They actually remind me a lot of another Brazilian metal band I used to be a big fan of, Painside. They have a similar sound and love for the older British bands. A slower bridge leads into a great guitar solo, full of technicality and feeling. It then heads into a final chorus to finish off a pretty great opening song!

‘Road Rage’ opens at a blinding pace more akin to the likes of Motorhead. It has a lot of punk vibes to it and the drums are lightning quick. It’s pretty interesting to hear this sort of voice over more punk stuff, and I’m finding myself really enjoying it! It’s balls to the wall throughout, the chorus not slowing at all yet managing to be even more catchy and enjoyable than the previous songs. A short, sweet solo and final chorus finish off a short, sweet song, and a very enjoyable one at that!

‘Shadow Dancer’ gets back to the heavy Maiden vibes again, from the riffs to the soaring vocals. This is the song I had heard before, as I recognise the massively catchy chorus. It’s a great song, the riffs and general instrumentation being amazing while the vocal melodies just remind me so much of the last two or three Maiden albums that I cannot help but love it. The guitar solo is another fantastic showcase of talent, especially when it plays around with the chorus’ melody. We again then get a final chorus to take us home. I see why this was one of the singles, it was awesome, and easily made the playlist!

‘Unholy Battleground’ and ‘Night Breed’ are both great songs in their own right, but don’t add too much different than the likes of the opener and ‘Shadow Dancer’ have already done. Both are great songs, catchy choruses, and some fantastic riffs, but they are both that similar that I’d struggle to say that much about them that I hadn’t already brought up. Heck, even ‘Virtual Empire’ feels fairly similar, but at least it’s a little faster than the previous two songs, making it stand out a little at least.

‘Pandemic Euphoria’ is at least pretty relevant given the world’s ongoing situation, and the lyrics handle it all pretty well. It’s also maybe the catchiest chorus on the album, which is saying a lot given the song-writing talents of these guys. It’s another great solo as well, but it feels like it is getting redundant saying that at this point, as they have all been fantastic solos and will most likely continue to be awesome, too!

The band’s epic, ‘Clouds Over Gotham’, is up next. At eight minutes, it’s the longest song on the album by a good two and a half minutes. And, in case you didn’t guess, it’s Maiden as F**k. The slow, quiet intro leads into a great heavier riff and reminds me a lot of the likes of ‘Starblind’ or ‘When the Wild Wind Blows’. It takes nearly two minutes to make it to the first chorus but it’s worth it, it’s massive and catchy and does something that Maiden doesn’t utilise enough on their studio work, some great backing vocal harmonies. They add so many layers to it, as does the synth that comes in over the top, adding a real epic Phantom of the Opera vibe to it. The guitars following the same melody mere seconds afterwards somehow make it all feel even more epic, too. It drops out to just bass for a second after the second chorus, adding a fun little dynamic, before bursting into a long, AWESOME duelling guitar solo. It then heads to some beautiful acoustic guitar chords with vocals over the top, adding even more great layers to the song. It all builds perfectly into a HUGE final chorus. This was utterly fantastic, and more of what I was hoping for from a modern Maiden-style band. It was an eight-minute epic of fantastic musicianship, and it has instantly made every playlist I could put it on.

Unfortunately, as was most likely to be expected, the following tracks don’t quite live up to the lofty awesomeness of the previous one. ‘Arcade Generation’ has a great AOR-style riff running through it and the chorus is pretty decent. ‘The Last Samurai’ is a faster, punkier jaunt again, packed full of quick drumming and awesome riffs. ‘The Howling’ is somehow a pretty good combination of both of them. Meanwhile closing track ‘Survival Instinct’ is a straight-up Maiden-inspired hard rock track, and it’s awesome. As I have said in other reviews though, they are pretty similar to other tracks on the album so I struggle to have much to say about them. All three are fantastic songs on an awesome album though, I assure you!

Overall: I loved this. I always love discovering new music, especially when it’s a revamp of an older style and of this insanely high quality. I’ll be blasting a lot of these for weeks and months to come and I’m excited to hear where the band goes next. They have the potential to be megastars!

Overall: 8/10

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Trivium Announce New Album ‘In the Court of the Dragon’

12th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

Floridian metal band Trivium have been a staple of the metal world since their album Ascendency exploded (especially here in the UK) back in 2005. Since then they have released a further seven albums, all of them being absolutely fantastic in their own way. So, imagine our excitement today when the band announce a brand new album less than two years removed from 2020’s incredible ‘What the Dead Men Say’.

‘In the Court of the Dragon’ is set to be released October 8th, with the title track having already been dropped last month. To accompany the announcement, the band dropped another single from it, ‘Feast of Fire’.

Bassist Paolo Gregoletto had this to say about their latest track:

‘There’s always that one song you aren’t expecting when you begin writing a new album. It could be a riff written on the spot in the rehearsal space, a lyric that pairs just right with a melody, or in the case of ‘Feast of Fire,’ sitting right there in front of us in the middle of a demo that Corey brought in. We were well into pre-production at Full Sail when we all decided that something about the demo we had tracked was good but could be even better. Our producer Josh Wilbur even had in his notes: ‘Bridge is special, maybe so special it needs its own song.’ We tore the song apart and began again on the spot.‘

The track, featured below, is up to the same insanely high quality that the band have maintained throughout their last two albums now. It’s significantly lighter than the album’s title track, featuring a lot more clean vocals as opposed to screaming, but it still has some heavy riffs and stomping rhythm. On top of that, the solo is again fantastic, and the chorus may be up there with some of the bands’ best.

On top of all of that, the band have announced a European tour in November, including four dates in the UK.

We personally cannot wait for to hear the rest of the album, and will keep up to date with the band as much as we can in the leadup!

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NIRATIAS: Did Chevelle put out one of the best albums of the year and no one noticed?

12th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

Chevelle is a band of many styles, be it alternative rock and metal, post-hardcore, post-grunge, and even some nu-metal thrown in there too. The band’s closest comparison has been Tool, and they are clearly a pretty heavy inspiration on the band, yet their music takes those ideas and heavies them up a little. All sounds good so far, and like something I should damn well enjoy. However, I have to admit that given how much this band should appeal to me, I haven’t listened to a lot of them, merely not having the time to. This all changes today, though, so let’s get on with listening to their latest album, NIRATIAS. I’m rather excited!

‘Verruckt’ immediately starts on a great riff, backed up by an awesome drum roll, and the Tool influences are present immediately. Said riff keeps building until it evolves into a newer variation of it… and then does it again. It was at this point that I realised this was to be an instrumental track, a ballsy move to open an album on but one that more than pays off. Every riff here is insane, and I especially love both the guitar and bassy tones; the odd little bits of wah here and there sound incredible and the lead channel for the solos is great. It reminds me a lot of a combination between Mastadon and Metallica’s ‘Suicide and Redemption’. Opening on a showcase of the band’s instrumental talents was a great choice as this was 3:30 minutes of solid sludgy awesomeness. A great start.

In contrast, ‘So Long, Mother Earth’ opens straight into vocals. They’re pretty high and sound awesome over the quick guitar riff. The drums and bass soon come in over the back, twice as slow as the guitar which is a nice touch. It soon heads into what I think is the pre and then the chorus and the guitar occasionally follows the vocal line, again sounding great. The chorus itself has a great high vocal line that is still pretty catchy, even if it is lost in the mix ever so slightly. The band very much reminds me of what I wish Deftones were; they have that same level of heaviness and instrumental prowess, but the songs are ACTUALLY GOOD AND CATCHY. Actually, the more I hear that chorus, the more I fall in love with it. It’s fantastic. It drops down a little into a bridge out of the second chorus, the guitars sounding very reminiscent of Adam Jones’ style. The vocals come back in to lead quickly back into the chorus again, this one ending with an incredible scream from Pete Loeffler before it enters into a short, heavy outro. I loved this, it was everything I could have wanted out of a band like this; huge sounds, heavy guitars, a catchy chorus, and some of the best mixing around. Playlisted.

‘Mars Simula’ opens on another huge, heavy guitar riff, bridging the gap between the intro and verse with some awesome strumming. The verse is again very ‘heavier Tool’, the guitars and bass lower and palm-muted behind the higher, quickly delivered vocals. However, this time it soon explodes into a HUGE, open chorus, the riff giving off more early 2000s industrial metal vibes to me, think Static X or Dope. Having very few vocals during the chorus was a great choice too, the insane riff does enough talking for itself. A short bridge builds up more, adding higher pitches and speeds before exploding, everything dropping out momentarily before the awesome riffs come back in. The drums and bass sound amazing here behind the lead guitar, and I really can’t emphasize enough just how good the mixing on this album is. We get a final, double chorus afterwards to finish stuff off, and this is yet another incredible song. Why haven’t I listened to these guys sooner?

After a short interlude/instrumental track, ‘Sleep The Deep’, we reach the first and lead single on the album, ‘Self Destructor’. It again opens on vocals, this time Pete going at it alone as he sings over an awesome little guitar riff. It soon drops nicely though, the drums coming in and filling out the track perfectly. I had to stop writing after the chorus during the first time I listened to this track, stopping to appreciate this for what it is; a fucking incredible song. It’s pretty basic compared to the previous few songs in terms of instrumentation, the first half of it feeling more like a radio-friendly single. However, the vocals definitely get a little harsher after the second chorus during ALL OF THE BRIDGES AND STUFF, and the fact that it is nearly six minutes in length kind of un-qualifies it for the radio these days. But holy cow, this song blew my mind. From the opening notes from Pete to the beautifully contrasting piano outro, this was incredible from start to finish. It is easily playlisted and is my new favourite song on the album by quite a stretch. This doesn’t even feel like a song made for musicians either, the type I usually gush over, this is just a damn good song. Check this out, please.

‘Piistol Star (Gravity Heals)’ feels a little slower and calmer than the previous songs so far, but that by no means insinuates it’s bad. The riff is slow and sludgy, and when it gets some wah added to it building into the chorus it sounds somehow even better. The chorus is another very catchy one and the verse is a similar sort of deal to the previous song’s ones. This is another incredible song, but after the sheer amount of gushing about the last few songs, I’m gonna say that this is ever so slightly worse (we’re talking like 1% worse). And if I’m honest, it’s mainly because I cannot possibly put 4 songs in a row on the playlist, it feels too much like favouritism. Still, this is damn good too.

‘VVurmhole’ is another very short interlude before we head into another single, ‘Peach’. They do that thing I love where they blend the end of the one song into the start of the next too, just an added little bonus that makes albums better than constant singles, and given the concepty/spacey themes they are going for, it works perfectly. ‘Peaches’ fades in with an awesome guitar riff, soon adding a drumroll over the top before the riff opens out, the drums being slow and pretty basic but they make it massively heavily. The drums drop back out for the verse, the guitar being palm-muted and the vocals little more than a distorted whisper, adding some great dynamics to the song. The drums slowly get built back in when the vocals get a little higher before a MASSIVE, distorted guitar riff explodes in to break up the sections. This one is reminding me more of A Perfect Circle than Tool, not that that is in any way an issue. The heavy, catchy chorus again is incredible, a simple vocal line over a fairly simple guitar riff but it all works so damn well together, being heavy and melodic and emotional all at once. The little guitar solo in the middle was also great, and lead to an awesome little verse with some incredible vocal harmonies. This is another song I could gush over forever it feels so I’m just going to cut this short and say to check this one out, too.

While ‘Test Test… Enough’ does have vocals in it, it very much still feels like an interlude, just being Pete singing over his guitar for a couple of minutes. It is beautiful though, and the little runs he goes on in the middle when he’s not singing sound insanely good. It leads perfectly into ‘Endlessly’ too, said song opening quietly with a low bass and some simple guitar notes and high vocals over the top. It stays slow too, the drums coming in light and quietly over the top. It’s such a perfect showcase of Pete’s vocals; they sound beautiful and haunting and so much like Maynard James Keenan’s in the best possible way. It keeps building up and leaving notes hanging, making me constantly be expecting a drop. However, the fact that it never actually comes makes the song even better; it is a true emotional ballad. Between the powerful lyrics, double-layered vocals for the final chorus, and even the subtle edition of the bells on each big drum hit, all of this was excellent. Wow.

We finally reach the final single, ‘Remember When’. It opens on a now typically great guitar riff before stripping back down a little into the verse and exploding into another huge, heavy chorus. It’s a little formulaic of this album at this point, but it is still done so well and at such a high quality, especially for just two band members, that it is hard to complain about the similar structure at all. I have also realised that at times they also sound like heavier Alien Ant Farm; another fantastic, criminally underrated band. This was damn good but arguably the weakest of the singles.

It again fades straight into the next song, ‘Ghost and Razor’, and has maybe the best riff on the whole album open it up. Pete’s distant vocals sound great over the start of it too, and when the drums come in too it somehow ends up sounding even better! It’s a heavy, slow, sludgy song in all of the best ways. I’m honestly running out of ways to praise and gush over this band, but every single riff in this song is incredible and fits perfectly with Pete’s vocals over the top of them. It’s another one that easily made the playlist. I do have to give special credit to the dropout to just bass in the middle, building up more and more until Pete does his best Maynard scream over the top of a sick solo guitar riff. It gave me such good Know Your Enemy vibes, I loved it.

Finally, we reach the final track ‘Lost in Digital Woods’. This one just decides to push the boat out and be completely different from everything else, and I for one am all for it. It’s essentially just Pete playing the piano while reading out some poetry all Lou Reed style, weird timings and all. There is some still silence afterwards before some strange guitar sounds take us out. This feels INCREDIBLY Tool, finishing on a weird note, and almost feels like some sort of Holy Gift-type troll. However, it is very fitting for this album and the lyrics were fantastic. A pretty good end!

Overall: This was f’ing incredible. Everything about it was awesome, from the song-writing to the lyrics to the instrumentation, heck, even the album order. All of it felt purposely done and all of it worked so well. I have no idea why I haven’t listened to these guys much before, or at least not outside of their first couple of albums, but damn, I’ll be going back and checking out their last few immediately after finishing this writeup. This has leapfrogged all others to become my album of the year so far, and I think anyone else will have a very tough time knocking it off that spot. Check this out if you are in any way into rock music or just music in general, you will not be disappointed.

Score: 9.5/10

Reviews

ATBPO: Have Night Ranger still got it?

10th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

AOR legends Night Ranger is one of the more consistent bands to have risen to success among the 80s California hair metal scene. Having 13 studio albums under their belt including this year’s ATBPO, it is even more of a rarity that their outputs have been at a consistently high quality.

I caught them at Hard Rock Hell and I’ve been a fan ever since so I’ve been excited about this release for a while!

Launching hard and heavy with a fantastic guitar riff and a heavy drumbeat to back it, ‘Coming for You’ is a fantastic opener. The dropouts for the verses were great, especially with the low, fuzzy bass filling the gaps in the guitaring. The harmonies in the second half of the verse and pres build up perfectly to a huge, very catchy chorus. The backing vocals add so many layers to it but, given that they are saying the song title, they may be a little quiet. I also have to say that the lyrics for this song did feel a little cringy, a little basic and unlike them. It’s easily forgiven though given how great the instrumentation and catchiness it is. The bridge incorporates some acoustic guitar into the mix as it slows stuff down, adding a great further layer to it all and bringing back more classic Night Ranger feels. The solo is also fantastic, technically great and it fit with the song perfectly. We get a final big chorus and another awesome outro guitar solo to take us home. This is how you start an album!

Single ‘Bring it All Home to Me’ opens on some Bryan Adams style power chords and vocals before the drums explode in perfectly behind them. The fun pre leads to a VERY glam chorus, the harmonies and catchiness giving off massive Poison vibes. They have a similar bridge again after the second chorus that emulated the chorus but also had some very Queen-like harmonies. Another ripping, duelling solo follows, somehow even better than the previous one. I cannot get over just how catchy the chorus is with the harmonies, one of the biggest, best choruses I’ve heard all year so far. Another brief, awesome guitar solo takes us home again, and this track was even better than the first, easily making the playlist!

Lead single ‘Breakout’ opens on the most Night Ranger riff I’ve ever heard, and it’s f’in awesome. The verse is quick and punching, it all sounding very 80s with the synth but also uplifting in both the sound and lyrics. The pre leads to the chorus, the intro riff being the main part of it aside from the song title being shouted between bars. Another solo follows directly after the first chorus and it’s awesome, though I was spoilt by the last one so it didn’t stand out as much. The riff just before the last pre was awesome though, I have to say. The second half of the final chorus was also incredible, the guitars working overtime with an awesome riff, maybe my favourite of the album so far. This whole song was awesome, and another that makes the playlist, more for the guitar work than anything else!

‘Hard to Make it Easy’ goes almost country/blues rock after the opening AOR riff, the beat being bouncy and full of crunching guitars and a lot of awesome piano. The chorus comes out of nowhere but was great and catchy, this one giving off lots of Status Quo vibes. It’s just a fun song all around. Although I have to admit, it did feel a little repetitive by the end, there wasn’t much variety in it. It’s a small gripe when it’s so enjoyable, though.

The final single for the album, ‘Can’t Afford a Hero’ is a slower, ballad-y one. The acoustic guitar is broken out fully, a weird opening riff that I’m not sure I’m a fan of dropping away into beautiful chords through the verses and choruses. It somehow gives off both Bon Jovi and Oasis vibes, an odd combination that works a lot better than it should! The chorus is pretty catchy too, though maybe the least so of the tracks so far. There isn’t much more I can say about it, it’s a fun ballad that’s worth a listen if you’re into the slower music.

Unfortunately, the following three tracks, ‘Cold as December’, ‘Dance’ and ‘The Hardest Road’ don’t do much to pick up the pace again. While the first is a little heavier and has a great riff hidden in there somewhere and gives off some Cult vibes too, it doesn’t stand out too much. It definitely feels like an album track. ‘Dance’ straight-up steals from ‘We Will Rock You’ to open, be it a homage, unintentional, or something more sinister, who knows. But outside of that, it gave off ‘Stripper Girl’ (Steel Panther) vibes, which is bad when the parody band makes a better song out of it. But heck, it has a huge, stadium-filling chorus, so it can’t be sniffed at all too much aside from the opening few seconds. Meanwhile ‘The Hardest Road’ is generally just boring, it adds very little to the album and is simply a sign that it has ground to a halt. Maybe it’s just badly arranged, as the first half was pretty steady and enjoyable. I have nothing at all against ballads, but having four slower songs in a row feels a little unnecessary when the first three songs were pretty quick. Hopefully, the last quarter can pick up the pace and quality again.

Thankfully ‘Monkey’ picks up the pace again with one of the best, heaviest opening riffs of the album. The verse keeps up the quick pace, the drums being solid and awesome behind the basic guitars. The pre ramps the song up perfectly into a huge, open chorus, not quite as catchy as some of the others but the half-timing made it sound awesome. One of the best solos I’ve heard in a LONG time bridged the gap between the choruses, long and technical, the perfect showcase of Brad Gillis’ extraordinary talents. Another chorus and an awesome closing solo finished it off. This was a guitar player’s dream, and another to make the playlist!

Unfortunately. the last couple of songs on the album, ‘A Lucky Man’ and ‘Tomorrow’ don’t quite live up to ‘Monkey’ for me. They are another couple of mid-tempo, ballad-feeling songs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them, and on their own I would probably love them. But, after so many slowish songs on the album, I’ve gotten a little bored of them. I’d happily listen to them again, but they don’t feel all too special to me like some of the others.

Overall: This was a pretty good album, in all. While it doesn’t quite measure up to some of the best albums of the band’s discography, or some of the best albums released this year in general, it is a solid release with a few great, standout tracks. It may grow on me with more listens, as is the case with some of this band’s work, but for now, I shall give it…

Score: 7/10

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News

Florence Black Announce Debut Album: Weight Of the World

4th August 2021 Overtone Leave a comment

South Wales born rock band Florence Black have become rising stars over the last few years, earning high praise from the likes of Benji Webb, Ben Wells and even Corey Taylor has called them ‘BAD ASS.’ The band have released three EPs and a slew of singles since 2016, but have been hard at work recently getting ready to release their first studio album, ‘weight of the world.’

The album is to drop on September 17th and was recorded at Long Wave Recording Studio with producer Romesh Dodangoda. Two singles have been released so far, ‘CAN YOU FEEL IT?’ and ‘SUN & MOON.’

Tristan Thomas, the vocalist, had this to say about the album:

“‘Weight Of The World’ is the culmination of our time as Florence Black. It’s a mixture of songs written at our very beginning and brand new material just created, blended together and shaped into one. The pressure and anticipation of releasing our debut album, feels like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders, especially with waiting what has felt like since the beginning of time to get it recorded and released. We wanted that reflected in the title and the artwork. Not to mention, with Romesh Dodangoda’s production, the sound is as heavy as Planet Earth too!”

We for one cannot wait to hear the full album, and y’all best keep an eye out because we sure as heck will be reviewing it when it’s out!

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Reviews

Songs for the Saddle Sore: how well do comedy music and NWOCR blend together?

3rd August 2021 Overtone

Comedy country-rock band Bootyard Bandits have been floating around the UK underground scene for a couple of years now, gaining more and more momentum seemingly with each passing month. I end up seeing them on more and more festival line-ups, which is a great thing, and initially discovered them myself after a frankly fantastic recommendation from Spotify. Because of that, I have heard of a good four or more of the songs on this album already, but I have to say I do like them and I am excited to review them properly. Join me in checking out this review, things are about to get silly!

Straight away with the opening track ‘M.I.L.F’, you can see what I mean. Bursting into a great, speedy country-rock riff, the song oozes sleaze and attitude. The feel and tempo keep up throughout the song and the lyrics immediately pull no punches. Singing about a beautiful woman in ridiculous detail who the band would essentially like to be dominated by, it sets the tone for the album and the band’s sound and style pretty perfectly. However, do not let the crudeness distract from the great instrumentation. The breakdown riff after the second chorus is great, boarding on metal with its heaviness, and the lyrics over the top add to the awesomeness. I was hoping for a guitar solo to complete the greatness of this song but it didn’t happen, we instead got another awesome chorus to close things out. A damn good opening song for what is going to be a ridiculous album, I’m sure.

Next up is one I have heard before and my personal favourite song by the band so far, ‘Country Music’. Another great opening riff leads to another surprisingly heavy guitar riff through the verses. The vocals fit perfectly between the guitar parts, and the harmonies only make it sound even better. It all builds to the gag of the song, the opening line of the song satirically splitting up the first word of the song title and honestly catching me off guard the first time I heard it, as well as leaving me in hysterics of course. The chorus as a whole isn’t nearly as catchy as the previous song, but the riffs and comedy are a little better in my opinion. We get a dropdown after the second chorus, a great, VERY metal guitar riff filling the gap between the vocals and the cymbal heavy drums as the song builds up more and more before it explodes into a huge final chorus. More silly humour that I cannot help but enjoy and backed up by awesome music, I cannot complain at all. Playlisted!

The band’s biggest song to date, ‘Hoedown Showdown’ (nope, I’m not making this up!) is up next. A slightly steadier country-rock riff opens this one up, heading into a pretty stripped-back verse with heavy blues vibes. If it wasn’t for the lyrics, I’d say it’d be the perfect radio-rock song for them. The chorus is pretty open and massive, but the spread-out lyrics ruin it for me just a little bit – it slows down the song a little too much for me. The lyrics in general are a little worse than the previous two songs too, a little more on the nose like modern-day Steel Panther instead of subtler and funnier than old-school Panther. There isn’t much to the song – just two verses, two choruses and then a quick bridge and final chorus. I get that it was supposed to be their most accessible song, but it just felt a little basic to me.

‘Let’s Rodeo’ opens into the most enjoyable part of the album from a musical standpoint with a simple, fun guitar riff, a singular, slow bass drum and some catchy vocals. The backing and harmonies behind the vocals make them sound even better and add to the impact, and honestly add to their catchiness. It builds up perfectly with a drum roll into what I assume to be the chorus guitar riff after a vocal callout of the song title. Unfortunately, there is slightly more to the second verse – being a steady chugging guitar and drumbeat. It was still good, but it didn’t sound as good as the first verse. There is even less to this song in terms of structure, there just being three verses and three choruses, but the addition of the strings for the third chorus and a short solo from them instead of the pre sound great and add more country to just about any other song I have heard written by a British artist. I’m umming and erring about whether to put this song on the playlist or not. Why don’t you go over to it and check, see which way I ended up deciding…?

Next up is another song I know already and kinda love, ‘Shirt Potatoes’. It’s another song that, despite the ridiculous, hilarious premise written around a woman’s chest, is fantastic musically. The opening riff is the perfect mixture of country and sleaze, fitting the lyrics perfectly. The open verse of mainly just drums and vocals always works well too, and the vocals are so strong and powerful that they easily carry it through. The chorus isn’t the catchiest I’ve heard but the lyrics are silly enough to make it work and make more childish people happily want to sing along to it. The heavy few seconds in the middle of the second chorus is also worth bringing up, the call and response vocals with the dropping out guitar chords sounded awesome. It’s also taken me this long to realise just how much the singer sounds like Nathan James of Inglorious, but you can definitely hear it with the high notes. I also remember now why I like this song so much – it’s finally got a guitar solo in it and it’s a damn good one, definitely worth the wait. A final chorus and outro of course take this home and this song is another highlight of the album.

The next song has me interested as it features a guest who I am a big fan of at the minute, Christopher Bowes of Alestorm. It opens on a typically good, heavy riff for the band and this album at this point, and the verse isn’t too out of the ordinary for what I’ve heard so far either. The chorus is basic again but the backing vocals drive it forwards enough to make it catchy. Christopher comes in for the second verse, his distinctive vocals lending a lot to the track, in my opinion. The two bands mesh together pretty well too, especially on such a party-centric song. Unfortunately, there isn’t much more involvement from him outside of the odd line in the final choruses that you can hear him in. It’s a shame, as Alestorm is one of the best bands in rock at the minute for doing things a little different. Another good guitar solo but outside of that and the inclusion of Christopher, this wasn’t much we haven’t heard already.

The same sort of analysis could be given for the next few songs. ‘Hobby Horse’, ‘Ladies Man’, and ‘Cowboys and Indian Takeaway’ are all fairly similar in feeling and style to the previous songs on this album. It isn’t a bad thing at all, it just means I don’t have much to talk about. There is one track that is different though, the most-likely-to-offend-someone track winner of the album, ‘Cowperson’. Clearly being inspired by Bon Jovi’s ‘Dead Or Alive’, hilarious in of itself, it’s the first ballad and change of pace we’ve had at all on the album so far, which is very welcome. It’s a damn good ballad that wouldn’t seem out of place in the 80s if it wasn’t for the crazy, gender-confused, children’s-toy-related lyrics.

‘Vanessa’ continues the trend of sleazy-country pretty steadily, but I did want to talk about just how damn good of a chorus it had. It’s the best on the album I’d say, featuring massively catchy and fun lyrically as well as some impressive high notes being hit vocally. Outside of that, it’s pretty standard, much like the following few tracks, ‘Outlaw’, ‘Family Tree’ and ‘Doc Holiday’. There are some genuinely amazing lyrics in here, and some more good riffs and solos, but 13 songs (14 if you count the last one) of pretty similar music, tempo and style do get a little much all at once.

The final song, as the name itself explains, is a Christmas one. It’s good, even if it sounds pretty close to all their other stuff. The chorus is enjoyable but it isn’t something I’d actually listen to much around the festive season.

Overall: This was a damn enjoyable album. It was pretty bloated; I think 15 songs was a little much and it could have been cut down to 11 pretty easily and therefore stand a little stronger, but every song was at least fun. I cannot wait to finally catch them live at some point soon and I think they have a bright future ahead of them.

Score: 7/10

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Reviews

Leave a Scar: is the Twisted Sister frontman writing some of the best music of his career?

1st August 2021 Overtone

Dee Snider is a man who should need no introduction. From fronting one of the biggest rock bands of the 80s to famously fighting against the censorship of music, he has done a lot in the public eye in the past. However, since his original band started winding down and then called it a day over the last five years or so, he has gone on to release music under his own name… and it’s HEAVY. Not once did I expect the ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ singer to release an almost thrash album, but 2018’s ‘For the Love of Metal’ was practically that. His latest work, ‘Leave a Scar’, was released last week and is his third solo album. I have always been a huge fan of the man and his solo music, and he is still incredible live too, so I have been excited for this one for weeks!

‘I Gotta Rock (Again)’ immediately starts the heaviness off with a couple of huge guitar riffs, backed by cymbal-heavy drums and an awesome opening call from Dee. The awesome riffs continue through the verse and Dee’s vocals sound as pitch-perfect and powerful as ever; the man seems ageless. The chorus kicks in fast and hard and it’s catchy as hell, the chanted backing vocals helping it out a lot. The duelling solos are also both fantastic – fast, technical and perfectly fitting with the tone of the song. If there was ever a modern song that needed to be on a Guitar Hero game, it’s this one. The slowed-down chorus after was a nice touch before a massive final one takes us home. An amazing opener and one that easily made the playlist!

The insane riffs continue through the start of ‘All or Nothing More’, this feeling more like a Testament album than something that came from anyone who was in Twisted Sister. It quickly reaches another catchy chorus, this one feeling a little more like a modern metal style like it was ripped straight from a metalcore song. The breakdown riff after the second chorus was good, even if it did remind me a little too much of the main riff from the last album’s title track. The solos were again great and led into another great double chorus to finish things off, this time with the surprising inclusion of some screaming from the backing vocals. Another strong song!

‘Down But Never Out’ launches straight into what I assume are the chorus vocals over the top of yet another great riff. They stop and we get a brief but great solo before the verse vocals kick in. They’re fast and powerful, including more chanting backing vocals. It was a little hard to distinguish between the verse and chorus with this one though, as the riffs are pretty similar and so is the vocal delivery. Another little breakdown is followed by another great solo and another pre before we get a fantastic extended outro breakdown. It was heavy, stomping and very enjoyable just like the whole song.

‘Before I Go’ gives off slightly lighter, more AOR vibes, despite its still blistering speed. It’s still damn good though, the chorus maybe being the best of the album. It reminds me of another big name in the 80s’ solo project, Sixx AM. The slower, lighter pace really helps, making it stand out from the other tracks so far. It follows the same format as the other songs, a short bridge/breakdown part before a briefer guitar solo this time around. There’s a nice little bit of clean guitar afterwards, but it did feel a little out of place in the track. We then get a final, Maiden-esque chorus to end on.

While ‘Open Season’ does feel a little more of the same at this point, this track showcases the production quality of the album – especially with the drums. Every bass hit was crisp, clear, and powerful, adding so much to the track.

I had similar feelings about the following track, ‘Silent Battles’. It’s a steadier song, but still had a lot of the same feeling as the previous songs. I thought ‘Crying for your Life’ would be different as it started slower, mainly focusing on the clean guitar chord progression and vocals. It does pick up the pace and distortion about a minute into it, but it still feels different enough to hold my attention. It’s more of a groove metal track than thrash like the others and there are various different parts that were awesome and catchy, not just vocally but including the guitar riffs too. It was a very enjoyable track and another that makes the playlist easily!

Both ‘In for the Kill’ and ‘Time to Choose’ go back to their more thrash-oriented style. Both are great songs in their own right, but it’s a lot of the same on one album and that makes it hard to review without repeating myself. The only bonus is the version of ‘Time to Choose’ below also has Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse, which automatically makes it 100000x more metal.

‘S.H.E.’ is still pretty similar, but for some reason it caught my attention a little more than some of the others. It was damn catchy, especially in the chorus, and the stomping pace through the verse was infectious and something I would LOVE to see live. ‘The Reckoning’ again stood out mainly for the drums, the double bass work in the opening riff/chorus being mighty impressive and sounds MASSIVE. However, outside of that, it is just more awesome, samey heavy metal.

The final track on the album, ‘Stand’ is the slowest song on the album. While I usually have an issue with the ballad of the album being the final song, leaving the album on a whimper instead of a bang, this track was at least heavy enough to carry itself to an epic finish. The clean guitars are beautiful behind Dee’s vocals, and the choruses sound huge when the distorted guitar chords come in over the top. The lyrics for this track are also the best on the album, a great call to arms full of positive reinforcement. It did feel like it maybe needed some long and powerful notes at the end to drive it home. Instead, it does kind of fade out, but as a whole the song worked pretty well.

Overall: This was another fantastic album from a man who for all intents and purposes “shouldn’t” be pumping out this sort of quality and heaviness in his mid-late 60s. The man defies all expectations again and again and also has one of the best backing bands around today. The whole album is filled with huge riffs, catchy vocal lines and honestly, there isn’t a bad song on it. He’s hit it out of the park again.

Score: 8.5/10

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This is NWOCR: a showcase of the best British new wave of classic rock scene

28th July 2021 Overtone

A term coined back in 2017 for the resurgence of a classic sound brought about by the likes of Inglorious and The Dead Daisies, the New Wave of Classic Rock has gone from strength to strength since and has found itself at the forefront of the underground scene over the past couple of years. That has in large part been down to the fantastic efforts of a lot of people behind the scenes, helping promote the bands and form a real community around the sub-genre. It has led to this, a 42-track collection of some of the best the genre has to offer. I for one am familiar with a good few of the bands contained on it and I’m a big fan so I’m excited to get the chance to review them.

To put it simply, it’s 42 smaller bands getting some much-needed exposure, and I could not be happier to listen to it and help by both buying and reviewing it. This may be a long one – who’s ready?

Massive Wagons start us off with their 2015 hit, ‘Tokyo’. It’s a fantastic track that perfectly encapsulates the genre. It’s a middle-paced stomper full of 70’s inspired riffs, soaring, powerful vocals, and a massive (pun intended), catchy chorus. It wouldn’t feel out of place on a Rainbow or even AC/DC chorus with that sort of vibe – a real stadium-filler of a song and a big reason as to why the band is one of the biggest up-and-coming British artists around.

Next up is Mason Hill. I’ve listened to their debut album before and I have to admit that while I didn’t enjoy every single song, ‘DNA’ was one of the standout tracks on it. The main riff alone is a massive positive, quick, driving, heavy guitar pairing fantastically with the slower drums. The backing vocals and harmonies are also on point throughout, be it in the pre-chorus or chorus which both feature different layers and styles in each part. Another great track from such a young band.

Hollowstar‘s biggest track ‘All I Gotta Say’ starts off slower than the other two, having a beautiful clean chord progression for the first verse before another amazing, heavy guitar riff cuts through it and launches the song into a faster pace. The verses stay slower but the real highlight is the heavier choruses, blasting out with huge power chords and catchy vocals from Joe Bonson. Three for three with amazing tracks so far.

These Wicked Rivers give us a bit more of a scrappier track more reminiscent of Rival Sons and older bands like Rolling Stones than the more polished and produced tracks we’ve had so far. That doesn’t take away from the quality at all though. The riff is again awesome; it is lighter and higher than the others and the chorus is maybe one of the catchiest of the album.

We finally reach a band I haven’t heard of – Anchor Lane with their track ‘Fame Shame’. The band definitely fits into the NWOCR sub-genre but I hear just a little Soundgarden in here too – there’s some of that faster, heavy grunge vibe to it. I have to admit, I’m a fan. The breakdown was pretty great too and the chorus was just as catchy as some of the others on the album. The band has found a new fan in me!

Empyre gives us another middle-paced track, filled with palm-muted guitars and low drums that contrast nicely with the powerful, awesome vocals. The chorus is a great riff but, outside of that, it doesn’t take off any, staying at the steady, low pace. The guitar solo in the middle is fantastic though and the vocals almost remind me of Peter Steele’s at times. A good track and the slowest so far.

Daxx And Roxane are a band I have been recommended a couple of times before but just haven’t had the chance to check out. I’m so glad that this changed today as ‘Without You’ is an awesome track. Channelling some real Poison vibes with this track but modernising it for the current scene is awesome. The riff is infectious, making me bob my head throughout, and the vocals are powerful: soaring and catchy. They have a new fan in me and I can’t wait to hopefully catch them on the festival circuit next year!

Sons of Liberty are one of the surprising number of bands on this album that I first heard at HRH a couple of years ago and have been a fan of them ever since. ‘Fire and Gasoline’ is a great AC/DC style chugging rock song, incorporating both the catchy soaring vocals and the lower, almost power-metal-esque style through the verses. Its catchy, infectious chorus hook is enough to push it into our playlist alone but the rest of the song is awesome too.

Tequila Mockingbyrd and Cult Classics alumni united to form The Hot Damn! at the back end of last year and launched their debut single at the start of the month ready for this release. I was a big fan of the two separate bands that the frontwomen were part of and I have purposely been holding out on listening to the track so that I could review it properly with this album. ‘Dance Around’ is a great track that feels punkier than the rest of the songs so far. It feels like it was inspired by early Wildhearts in the best way – catchy, light and bouncy throughout. Gill Montgomery’s vocals fit perfectly over the instrumentation and the harmonies throughout the chorus work so well. Another fantastic new band!

Everyday Heroes give us another bluesy stomper of a track. It’s mid-paced and good but I’m sad to say it fades into the background a tad after so many phenomenal tracks before it. The harmonies were nice though, as was the solo. I kind of felt the same about the next track, Elles Bailey‘s ‘Woman Like Me’. It was definitely different from the previous tracks on the album but it didn’t fit as much into the sub-genre as the others. It felt closest to The Doors to me, a band that I wouldn’t necessarily class as classic rock. It was a good song and a well-needed change of pace in a solely hard rock album, but there wasn’t too much to it. It was a nice chilled-out song though and the solo in the middle was great!

Scarlet Rebels pick the pace back up with a great riff and some awesome pinch harmonics to open ‘No One Else to Blame’. I actually can’t get enough of the riff; it is the highlight of the song for me, though the chorus is pretty decent too! Meanwhile, Wolf Jaw offer up their own brand of slower blues-rock to the mix. Lead by the funky bassline and simple drumbeat, Tom Leighton’s vocals fitting perfectly over the top of them. It picks up perfectly into the chorus too, the guitars adding some great layers into it and pushing the vocals up higher. Another fantastic track!

Tomorrow Is Lost’s production is second to none on this album; the quality when the instruments explode over the top of the bassline sounds MASSIVE. It only adds to the epicness of the track as it builds perfectly from the verse through to the amazing chorus. I haven’t heard the song before as I hadn’t even heard of the band but damn, it’s one of my favourite tracks on the album. Even the awesome distorted vocals that kind of acted like the solo was awesome and such a unique take on the conventional rock style that I couldn’t not love it. An awesome track and I shall definitely be listening to more from the band!

Riff machines Dead Man’s Whiskey bring the power and attitude with ‘War Machine’. The vocals are good but the instrumentation for me is the real highlight of the track. The riff is just so infectious that even the awesome call and response backing vocals through the chorus could beat it. Meanwhile, Dig Lazarus channels similar vibes to The Hot Damn! with a great punk rock track. It’s driving from start to finish and simple yet pretty effective. However, I do feel like it would get a tad lost in the shuffle among the other incredible tracks on the collection.

Next is a band that I need no introduction to as they have been one of my favourite bands of the last few years, The New Roses. Because of this, I shall spare my relentless gushing over the band that I have done to my friends and over social media and instead I urge everyone reading this to CHECK THEM OUT. The track on this album, ‘Whiskey Nightmare’, is a great starting point. So, what are you waiting for? Go check out your new favourite band already!

Shape of Water (not the fish porn movie) is another song that feels like it revolves around an awesome riff. The vocals work well over the top, giving off a massive sludgy/bluesy vibe to the whole thing – almost like a stoner rock song like Kyuss or Masters of Reality. It was another welcome change of pace on an album that has a lot of similar music, making me like this song a lot as a result!

Häxan sounds good but their track feels as much lost in the shuffle as a couple of the others, there isn’t much special about it that hasn’t already been done. The same can be said about the final two tracks of the first disc from Rival Black and Gin Annie. Both are good songs in their own right but offer little in the way of variety.

It isn’t until disc two begins with the always fantastic Phil Cambell and the Bastard Sons that the album truly gets back to form. The man from Motorhead has been firing on all cylinders during his current solo project and releasing arguably some of the best music of his career, and ‘Son of a Gun’ is no exception. A great hard rock song and another highlight of the collection.

The Dust Coda’s ‘When The Tide Comes in’ has a catchy as anything opening vocal hook, especially when the rest of the band come im. It’s the highlight of the song, the rest not quite as fun. Unfortunately Skam, another band I am usually a fan of, fade a little into the background with the sheer quality on display throughout these two discs.

Collateral offers a fresh change of pace, this time going for a Bon Jovi ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ style with ‘Merry Go Round’. It’s an enjoyable, acoustic lead song, filled with catchy vocal hooks, huge choruses and awesome backing vocals. It’s the ballad this album needed and is definitely a good one. Another band I haven’t heard enough of!

Bad Touch provides the most controversial track on the album for me. I used to gig with them a lot back in the day and, as good as this song is, I have to admit I prefer their older stuff. I don’t know what the difference between ‘I Get High’ and something like ‘Wise Water’ is and maybe it’s simply nostalgia.

Massive was one of the few to record a new song ready for this release. We covered their latest single ‘Rise’ when it first came out so check that out!

The next few tracks from bands like Gorilla Riot and Thundermother all felt a little samey at this point, something that is unfortunately going to happen with so many songs from the same sub-genre. The next one that kind of caught my ear was Rews with ‘Today We’re Warriors’, and that’s mainly because it sounds pretty similar to something Dorothy would release. It’s more pop-rock leaning and another nice and appreciated change of pace on this LONG album.

Twister gives us a good track that somehow blends glam and punk seamlessly, and Bootyard Bandits bring their own fantastic brand of comedy and country-rock to the proceedings. Doomsday Outlaw gives off some great country/blues vibes too and Ashen Reach shows off their impressive AOR sound and style, almost metal in its execution.

Ryders Creed got me excited for a second as their guitar tone was pretty reminiscent of early Nickelback (to a point where the riff seems almost a straight rip of ‘Hangnail’) but when the vocals kicked in it became a lot lighter and radio-bait-y. It’s not bad but I had never really understood the hype around this band to begin with, so it would have taken a lot to convince me.

The final track saved the same-ness of the second disk for me with Blackwater Conspiracy’s ‘Soul Revolutionaries’. It gave off almost Rod Stewart vibes at times, being a lighter, poppier rock song but it was done so well and enjoyably that it became one of my favourite tracks of the album. The driving guitars, subtle piano, and soaring vocals were all massive highlights and drew me back to a band I haven’t listened to enough of recently. An awesome way to close an album!

Overall: I have to admit right out of the gate that 42 tracks/bands took a lot to listen to in one session. However, the sheer ambition of this album has to be applauded and being able to showcase so many smaller, incredible bands on a release such as this is amazing. There were a lot of awesome tracks on the album from bands that deserve to be a lot bigger than they are and hopefully this will give them a platform to really launch off of!

Score: 8.5/10

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