Certainly I
wouldn’t be the first person to say this, these guys have American 70s hard
rock written all over them. There is no
doubt this album was created with the mindset of a nice long journey in a sweet
American made muscle car. I-95 opens
the album and what a way to open it. A
pure riff fest, like starting the engine of your 1970 Chevelle SS396, you know
where this song is going to take you.
Although it speaks of Carolina
It gets even
heavier and better as you continue through the album. The Edge is another hard driving boogie
shaking noise maker. Damn, I may be easy
to please, but these guitar solos just melt my ears. Nothing fancy, just the way I like ‘em,
straight in your face. Duel starts off
with a riff reminiscent of Blackfoot, and there isn’t anything wrong with
that. The band picks pulls &
chooses its influences well. Just
perfect subtle hints of where their heads were and where they have been. Cage, Deported to Jersey
& Electric Street Cred carry on with the same sweet riffs and power
that you would have come to expect. Just
really great, pure hard rock songs. No
frills, no phony wannabe radio friendly cheap ass AM crap. I just can’t stop feeling the love for the
70s feel, with Electric Street Cred even including a short drum solo. Now that is some good shit. They just don’t make bands like this anymore.
Now we head into
the stretch run, and what a way to end an album. Yes, I have also noticed a few Kiss riffs
here and there, again subtle and twisted their own way. So it is no surprise that they cover one of
my favorite songs from one of my favorite artists, Ace Frehley, Rip It
Out. This begs for a Kiss cover album
from Small Stone, as Infernal Overdrive tears this song up. A pleasure to hear, it sets up the album closer
perfectly. Motor. A 13 minute hard rock beauty. A pure fuckin’ blast from the past, back when
bands were allowed to do their own thing.
To say I cannot get enough of this song is an understatement. The band perfectly sets you up with a slow
yet deceiving delivery, with small doses of riffs, and then it explodes right
open into a flame throwing rifftacular meltdown. All I can picture are the street lights
blurred, cars left in trails while you’re speeding down the highway, with the
Chevelle pulling as much as it can out of its 350 Turbo-jet engine. One of the best closing songs I have heard in
a very long time.
As its first
release of 2012, Small Stone has set the bar high, not only for its own
releases that are coming, but for other bands & labels. If you like your music with a perfect touch
of 70s hard rock, then you will do no wrong in getting this. It’s like getting your ass handed to you,
except you invite it and accept it. Of
note, my only complaint is that it was recorded in 2010. Can we get a new release soon? The more from them, the better.
~William Bissonette
