Today’s Quickies round-up is a one-two of new generation hard rocking, with the second albums from Welsh band Scarlet Rebels and Portsmouth-based Brave Rival.
Scarlet Rebels – Where The Colours Meet
For reasons passing understanding, I’ve not come across Scarlet Rebels until now – and on the strength of Where The Colours Meet I’ve clearly been missing out.
They kick start the album with a trio of belters, in ‘Secret Drug’, ‘Let Me In’ and ‘It Was Beautiful’. The first opens with spiky guitar á la ‘Baba O’Riley’ from lead guitarist Chris Jones, before vocalist Wayne Doyle weighs in with churning rhythm guitar. Add in thunderous drums, surging riffs, and a simple, bang-yer-head chorus, and they’re off and running like a runaway train. Then
the staccato slam of ‘Let Me In’ ups the ante in a hard-rocking manner worthy of Wayward Sons, diamond-sharp rather than blunt-edged metal. It’s a cracking, tightly assembled tune, and the guitars sound like being in the bell tower of Notre Dame while Quasimodo does his stuff, topped off with a steely solo like a skewer to the ears. ‘It Was Beautiful’ then drifts in with delicate piano notes and hushed vocals from Doyle, but it’s not long before they’re launching into a big, Manics-like chorus, garlanded by piano in the midst of some ring’n’rip guitar work, with six string harmonies into the bargain.
If they open strong, they maybe close even stronger, with ‘Divide And Conquer’ and ‘My House My Rules’. The former unleashes a blistering, twisting and turning Celtic-style guitar riff as the accompaniment to an overtly anti-Tory lyric. Wayne Doyle’s vocal delivery bristles with urgency, as does the song as a whole, with more guitar harmonies and a crashing bridge adding to the fun. Then ‘My House . . .’ is a co-write with Ricky Warwick that’s lightning-bolt electric, Doyle’s vocal jabbed home clearly and insistently, while Jones adds a suitably shrieking then melodic solo over an earthquake of drums from Gary Doyle.
They don’t let up in between these two poles either. ‘Grace’ combines a character study lyric, a bouncing riff and an extended, agitated chorus to excellent effect, with a stiletto-like solo and an ear-catching blend of rhythm and lead guitar. And ‘Out Of Time’ is a sweeping, earnest ballad on which Wayne Doyle duets with the guesting Elles Bailey, whose vocal is given an intriguing reverb-drenched/double-tracked treatment.
The word “anthemic” could have been coined for ‘How Much Is Enough’, an exercise in making simplicity count, with mountainous, resounding chords over an uncomplicated, whacking beat, another twirl of guitar harmonies, and an irresistible soaring chorus. Meanwhile ‘Streets Of Fire’ is a solidly hard-driving affair, sturdily anchored by Carl Oag’s bass, opening with an echoing, Celtic-tinged guitar line that turns into angular embellishment to the rhythm guitar. And if that’s not enough, ‘Who Wants Be In Love Anyway’ is propelled by hammering bass and drums from Oag and Doyle, with prickly guitars encircling the catchy chorus, and a serrated-edge guitar solo bringing a Muse-like vibe.
If sharp, modern British hard rock is your kinda thing, Where The Colours Meet is absolutely for you. And for me, without a shadow of a doubt.
Where The Colours Meet is out now on Earache Records, and can be ordered here.
Brave Rival – Fight Or Flight
Brave Rival’s USP is the twin lead vocal combination of Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick, and it has to be said they make good use of their clear, precise voices, dovetailing here and harmonising there.
The mingling of the two vocals works well on the opening ‘Bad Choices’, for example, stretching out the notes on the verses, stuttering riff and twangy bass, but the tongue-twisting lines of the chorus make less of a mark. But the chorus on ‘Seventeen’ is stronger, complementing the swooping, slurring harmonies of the verses, while pummelling drums from Donna Peters reinforce the stop-start riff.
The purity of the voices also lends itself to an epic, proggy metal kinda vibe, as on ‘Insane’ for
example. A slower animal this one, the spangly guitar suggests mirrorball time, while the breathy vocals and harmonies create a spooky, ghostly atmosphere. Then there’s a gear change into a big, widescreen chorus. There’s some nice bass from Billy Dedman, strings providing dramatic counterpoint, and guitarist Ed Clarke gets suitably angsty on his guitar solo, though the high velocity fluttering segment isn’t especially individual.
There’s a similar kind of neo-Dio vibe going on with the mid-tempo ‘Blame The Voices’, which is awash with strings and comes with an attention-grabbing bass line. There’s a crunching staccato riff in the bridge, and Clarke’s solo has a strong sense of the epic. But it also illustrates a couple of their less positive tendencies, with overly wordy lyrics and the kitchen sink being thrown in at the end to less effect than they probably imagine.
‘Unravelling’ demonstrates the value of a bit more simplicity, with push-and-pull alternating vocals over a stop-time riff – another favoured modus operandi – and clacking wood block. With a good hook, and waves of organ courtesy of guest Jonny Henderson, it’s catchy in a Purplish kinda way, though the female voices give it pomp rock slant. Clarke’s guitar solo is neat, but the wordy, high-pitched bridge creates some unnecessary complication.
‘All I Can Think About’ has an acoustic opening and folky vibe, with an appealing vocal arrangement, and provides a welcome, sensitive breather – at least until they surge into tidal wave mode again, with mucho agitation. ‘Five Years On’ explores a different angle though, with a twitching riff and funky rhythm, before veering into some interestingly wonky revolving guitar chords and an undercurrent of organ. This time the rat-a-tat vocals work, and the bluesy guitar break is refreshing, though they still pile on the power for the chorus.
There’s some blues too in the mellow intro to the closing ‘Stars Upon My Scars’, and they maintain some wistful restraint for a while, with patient guitar weaving, the pressure building with purpose until the dam eventually breaks with an accelerating screamer of a solo from Clarke, making for a strong finish.
Brave Rival have certainly got a few things going for them, not least the combined vocals of Josephine and Bonnick. I reckon they need to work on smarter lyrics though, and more distinctive melodies too at times. Meantime I have a hankering for some more straight up rock’n’roll after all that epic intensity.
Fight Or Flight is out now, and can be ordered here.
Scarlet Rebels – Where The Colours Meet
For reasons passing understanding, I’ve not come across Scarlet Rebels until now – and on the strength of Where The Colours Meet I’ve clearly been missing out.
They kick start the album with a trio of belters, in ‘Secret Drug’, ‘Let Me In’ and ‘It Was Beautiful’. The first opens with spiky guitar á la ‘Baba O’Riley’ from lead guitarist Chris Jones, before vocalist Wayne Doyle weighs in with churning rhythm guitar. Add in thunderous drums, surging riffs, and a simple, bang-yer-head chorus, and they’re off and running like a runaway train. Then
 |
| Scarlet Rebels enjoy a bit of photo shoot posing Pic by Rob Blackham |
If they open strong, they maybe close even stronger, with ‘Divide And Conquer’ and ‘My House My Rules’. The former unleashes a blistering, twisting and turning Celtic-style guitar riff as the accompaniment to an overtly anti-Tory lyric. Wayne Doyle’s vocal delivery bristles with urgency, as does the song as a whole, with more guitar harmonies and a crashing bridge adding to the fun. Then ‘My House . . .’ is a co-write with Ricky Warwick that’s lightning-bolt electric, Doyle’s vocal jabbed home clearly and insistently, while Jones adds a suitably shrieking then melodic solo over an earthquake of drums from Gary Doyle.
They don’t let up in between these two poles either. ‘Grace’ combines a character study lyric, a bouncing riff and an extended, agitated chorus to excellent effect, with a stiletto-like solo and an ear-catching blend of rhythm and lead guitar. And ‘Out Of Time’ is a sweeping, earnest ballad on which Wayne Doyle duets with the guesting Elles Bailey, whose vocal is given an intriguing reverb-drenched/double-tracked treatment.
The word “anthemic” could have been coined for ‘How Much Is Enough’, an exercise in making simplicity count, with mountainous, resounding chords over an uncomplicated, whacking beat, another twirl of guitar harmonies, and an irresistible soaring chorus. Meanwhile ‘Streets Of Fire’ is a solidly hard-driving affair, sturdily anchored by Carl Oag’s bass, opening with an echoing, Celtic-tinged guitar line that turns into angular embellishment to the rhythm guitar. And if that’s not enough, ‘Who Wants Be In Love Anyway’ is propelled by hammering bass and drums from Oag and Doyle, with prickly guitars encircling the catchy chorus, and a serrated-edge guitar solo bringing a Muse-like vibe.
If sharp, modern British hard rock is your kinda thing, Where The Colours Meet is absolutely for you. And for me, without a shadow of a doubt.
Where The Colours Meet is out now on Earache Records, and can be ordered here.
Brave Rival – Fight Or Flight
Brave Rival’s USP is the twin lead vocal combination of Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick, and it has to be said they make good use of their clear, precise voices, dovetailing here and harmonising there.
The mingling of the two vocals works well on the opening ‘Bad Choices’, for example, stretching out the notes on the verses, stuttering riff and twangy bass, but the tongue-twisting lines of the chorus make less of a mark. But the chorus on ‘Seventeen’ is stronger, complementing the swooping, slurring harmonies of the verses, while pummelling drums from Donna Peters reinforce the stop-start riff.
The purity of the voices also lends itself to an epic, proggy metal kinda vibe, as on ‘Insane’ for
 |
| Brave Rival get the bird's eye treatment Pic by Rob Blackham |
There’s a similar kind of neo-Dio vibe going on with the mid-tempo ‘Blame The Voices’, which is awash with strings and comes with an attention-grabbing bass line. There’s a crunching staccato riff in the bridge, and Clarke’s solo has a strong sense of the epic. But it also illustrates a couple of their less positive tendencies, with overly wordy lyrics and the kitchen sink being thrown in at the end to less effect than they probably imagine.
‘Unravelling’ demonstrates the value of a bit more simplicity, with push-and-pull alternating vocals over a stop-time riff – another favoured modus operandi – and clacking wood block. With a good hook, and waves of organ courtesy of guest Jonny Henderson, it’s catchy in a Purplish kinda way, though the female voices give it pomp rock slant. Clarke’s guitar solo is neat, but the wordy, high-pitched bridge creates some unnecessary complication.
‘All I Can Think About’ has an acoustic opening and folky vibe, with an appealing vocal arrangement, and provides a welcome, sensitive breather – at least until they surge into tidal wave mode again, with mucho agitation. ‘Five Years On’ explores a different angle though, with a twitching riff and funky rhythm, before veering into some interestingly wonky revolving guitar chords and an undercurrent of organ. This time the rat-a-tat vocals work, and the bluesy guitar break is refreshing, though they still pile on the power for the chorus.
There’s some blues too in the mellow intro to the closing ‘Stars Upon My Scars’, and they maintain some wistful restraint for a while, with patient guitar weaving, the pressure building with purpose until the dam eventually breaks with an accelerating screamer of a solo from Clarke, making for a strong finish.
Brave Rival have certainly got a few things going for them, not least the combined vocals of Josephine and Bonnick. I reckon they need to work on smarter lyrics though, and more distinctive melodies too at times. Meantime I have a hankering for some more straight up rock’n’roll after all that epic intensity.
Fight Or Flight is out now, and can be ordered here.
No comments:
Post a Comment