Buckcherry – ‘Vol. 10’ (Earache Records)

Buckcherry – ‘Vol. 10’ (Earache Records)

What in the name of Joey DeMaio’s bonk eye has been going on in UK this past couple of weeks whilst I’ve been off giving my xenomorph cranium some much needed sunshine?

I arrive back over the weekend to find the country baking in Caribbean style temperatures, Man City winners of the treble, the Tory party (once again) openly imploding and Buckcherry in the Top 20 official UK album chart.

Wow!

Thankfully (for me) the latter wasn’t that much of a surprise as having the band’s tenth studio record pretty much on constant loop during my sabbatical I’d have been disappointed if it hadn’t been an instant success with the fans, as (for yours truly) ‘Vol.10’ really is the sound of Buckcherry at the top of their game once again.

Okay, I’m a bit of an old school Buckcherry fanboy, loving both their ‘Self-titled’ debut from 1999 and (still my favourite album by them) 2001’s ‘Time Bomb’, and as such have travelled far and wide to see the band live, but I must admit that ever since the ‘Rock N Roll’ album kind of “appeared” in my CD collection back in 2015, I haven’t really been that enthused by what the band have come up with.  Until now!

I think it’s safe to say that when Jetboy/American Heartbreak guitarist Billy Rowe joined the Buckcherry ranks frontman Josh Todd was looking to restore the song writing balance in favour of the liquor and poker bar band tunes that they had always excelled in writing, and 2021’s ‘Hellbound’ (the band’s first record for Earache Records in Europe) was a major step back in the right direction for the band following the decent if rather disappointing ‘Warpaint’ album, a record you must remember that had been preceded by Todd and guitarist Stevie D venturing off into the world of rock/rap crossover via their Spraygun War project.  

“So, what’s so great about ‘Vol. 10’? I hear you cry.

Well, this eleven tracker picks up pretty much where ‘Hellbound’ left off, with Marti Frederiksen reuniting with the band as producer, and the band line up of Todd, D, Rowe along with drummer Francis Ruiz and bassist Kelly LeMieux all seemingly gelling well together for their second album.

With Frederiksen at the helm the Aerosmith influence is never going to be too far away and here it’s evident from the get-go via opener ‘This And That’, a track that swaggers along with all the sartorial elegance of the late 80s version of the Toxic Twins. This is BIG, balls-out, rock music baby!

The album’s lead video/single ‘Good Time’ which is up next is the type of ‘Next 2 You’ rocker Buckcherry have become synonymous for writing, it’s perfect music to be played in your car with the top down enjoying the current heatwave, or if like me you like to walk everywhere, it’s a tune that’ll see you reach your destination a good three minutes quicker than you did last time.

Likewise, ‘Keep On Fighting’ is knockout stuff, a tune that actually harks back to the sonic fury of the ‘Time Bomb’ album, and if you like your music to come with a bite, this one is designed to take chunks out of your earlobes. Be careful with those anc headphones folks.

Elsewhere ‘Turn It On’ returns to the sassy swing of the record’s opener, and is that a hint of classic Guns N’ Roses I detect on the song’s mid-section? I’ll let you make your mind on that one, because up next we have ‘Feels Like Love’ a tune that whilst being 100% Buckcherry also has me thinking of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne (or should that be FM/Wildlife) and John Waite. Yes, it’s a love song, but it’s also possibly one of the best the band have ever written.

The thumping ‘One & Only’, and perhaps my favourite track on the album, ‘Shine Your Light’ make the mid-section of ‘Vol. 10 fly-by, and just when you think you have time for a breather (because Buckcherry always put a ballad in around this point in a record, don’t they) up pops ‘Let’s Get Wild’ a party anthem ready made for 2023.

 I seem to recall that there was a point during ‘Hellbound’ where I detected a hint of ‘80s Scorpions creeping into the song writing, and here on ‘With You’ I do feel like I wasn’t going completely mad after all. Go on, give the video a spin above and tell me otherwise.

After all these rockers there was always going to be a big piano lead ballad and this comes in the form of ‘Pain’, here Todd turns in a fantastically warm sounding performance using his lower vocal register to maximum effect before the band complete with orchestration take the tune off into the enormodome stratosphere.

Which just leaves the much talked about cover of Brian Adams’ ‘Summer Of 69’ to round off ‘Vol. 10’. Me, I don’t mind it, but never mind how many times I hear this song I can never get over how much Waysted were influenced by (as in ripped it off) for their 1985 single ‘Heaven Tonight’, but that is indeed a story for another day.

‘Vol. 10’ then, is a record chock full of feelgood anthems and alongside Sister Morphine’s long overdue debut they are easily my favourite sleazy rock ‘n’ roll albums of the year so far.

Check it out, you will not be disappointed.

Buy Here

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Author:Johnny Hayward

Bullets And Octane announce April Pre Orders for new album

Bullets And Octane announce April Pre Orders for new album

US hard rock band, BULLETS AND OCTANE, have announced the release of their new full length album “Riot Riot Rock N Roll” worldwide physical and digitally on April 24th via Bad MoFo Records/Cargo Records UK. The new single and music video for the first single ‘Ain’t Gonna Be Your Dog‘, co-written with ex Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson will be available on March 20th, 2020.

Riot Riot Rock N Roll is the follow up release to 2018’s “Waking Up Dead” from LA rockers Bullets and Octane and can be pre-ordered here

Riot Riot Rock N Roll is a energetic take no prisoners rock and roll album with 10 new tracks.

Bullets and Octane did extensive touring for “Waking Up Dead” that included 5 European Tours and a US tour. Opening slots for CKY and festival appearances at Malmo Festival in Sweden and Call Of The Wild in the UK helped build an already rabid fan base.

During the time on the road the band wrote the new album “Riot Riot Rock N Roll” in which guitarist Felipe Rodrigo says “This is the heaviest and best Bullets album to date”.

BULLETS AND OCTANE is:

Gene Louis – vocals
Felipe Rodrigo – guitar, backing vocals
Zachary Kibbee – bass, backing vocals
Jonny Udell – drums

Bullets and Octane exploded onto the scene in 2003 with their debut EP “One Night Stand Rock N Roll Band” on Critereon Records. 2004 saw the 2nd EP “Bullets And Octane” and their debut album “The Revelry” produced by Gilby Clarke of Guns And Roses also on Critereon Records. In 2005-2006 they Supported Avenged Sevenfold in America and Europe on the City Of Evil Tour.

2006 was a big year for the band as they were signed to RCA/BMG Records. They released their first major label album “In The Mouth Of The Young“, which was produced by Page Hamilton of Helmet. They played The Download Festival and where on “The Family Values Tour” with Korn, Stone Sour, Flyleaf and Deftones. They headlined their own UK tour as well.

2007 saw them Leave RCA for Ares Records, released “Songs For The Underdog” album and tour with Unwritten Law. They had headlining UK Tour with The Knives that year as well. In 2009 they released “Bullets and Octane ” a full length album and Toured the U.K. with Gunfire 76 (Wednesday 13’s project).

In 2016 they played Lost Highway motorcycle show and concert with Social Distortion, Foghat and Eagles Of Death Metal as well as releasing a new song “Burning At Both Wicks“.

In 2017 back at it full time with a solid line up, released songs and videos for “Bad Mother Fucker” and “Waking Up Dead“, headlined a very successful tour of the U.K and Sweden. They finished the “Waking Up Dead” album and played a string of successful shows in Hollywood, Orange County and Las Vegas.

In 2018 they are looking to release the album “Waking Up Dead“. They are already slated to headline U.K. dates and Sweden dates in February to kick off the 20 Year anniversary of the band with what has been touted as the most solid line up in it’s history.

www.facebook.com/BulletsAndOctane

Buckcherry – ‘Warpaint’ (Century Media)

Buckcherry – ‘Warpaint’ (Century Media)

It’s just a few days since I was last sat behind the keyboard waxing lyrical about the return of Swedish sleaze rockers Backyard Babies, now Century Media are at it again, messing with my musical memory banks with the return of Buckcherry, another band who thankfully saved me from a life a beige back at the tail end of the nineties.

The connections don’t end there either as just like with BYBs I pretty much fell out of love with Buckcherry around the time their albums started to contain the same amount of ballads you’d expect to find on a Celine Dion long player, and then when the news broke In May 2017 that guitarist Keith Nelson was leaving the band you’ll forgive me for thinking that things might just be over for Buckcherry.

How wrong could I be though, as here they are back with a bang in 2019 with studio album number eight and wearing the ‘Warpaint’ this time around singer Josh Todd is the sole survivor from the ‘Lit Up’ years whilst guitarist Stevie D is still there at his side from Crazy Bitch’ era. Also in attendance this time around are ex-Orson man Kevin Roentgen on guitar (he was also in the rather splendid American Pearl who opened for Buckcherry back in the early 00s), bassist Kelly LeMieux and the already departed Sean Winchester on drums.

Having rolled my eyes into the back of my horse’s head at the band’s pointless cover of Nine Inch Nail’s ‘Head Like A Hole’ which is also included here, I’d deliberately stayed away from any other album teasers as I really wanted to fall in love with Buckcherry all over again, and with ‘Warpaint’ kicking off with the album’s title track I’m pleased to say that some of that initial fire the band had in their stomachs around the time of their first two albums appears to have returned, BUT, and this is a big BUT, the overall feel I get is one of a band slightly holding back, as the acoustic lead ‘Right Now’ proves. This is a track that should explode from the speakers after the initial strut of the verse but instead, it pops and fizzes along where it should really be ripping your throat out.

I thought it was me initially, but I’ve also noted some other people on social media commenting about the mix being a bit subdued, however to point the finger solely at Mike Plotnikoff (who manned the desk on this project as he had done on their third album’15’) to me seems a bit harsh as when the band do ultimately slip into ballad territory as they do on ‘Radio Song’ and ‘The Hunger’ the sound simply soars. Surely there were more pairs of ears in the control room than Mike’s when the bite and crunch that should be there on the guitars on the opening riff for ‘The Vacuum’ end up muffled below the rhythm section? Still, it’s a good song, with a great vocal melody from Todd. I just wish again that the killer instinct was a bit more to the front.

Where ‘Warpaint’ does score a full 10 for me is on the superb ‘Bent’ (a track that could have fallen off the band’s classic and hugely underrated ‘Time Bomb’ album) and on the double time almost country-tinged shuffle of ‘No Regrets’, both tracks showing that Buckcherry are anything but a spent musical force.

Likewise, the gospel-tinged ‘Back Down’ is a sultry little number that could be a sleeper hit single whilst ‘Closer’ thunders along on an AC/DC like staccato riff that immediately has me tapping my hoof.

Look I’d love to say this is the best thing Buckcherry have recorded since ‘15’ just like Josh Todd is doing in the press rounds right now, but I can’t, simply because it isn’t, and tracks like ‘The Alarm’ plus album closer’ The Devil’s In The Detail’ just aren’t up there with the likes of ‘Onset’ and ‘Broken Glass’ the tracks they (kind of) correspond with if you stand the two albums alongside one another.

Make no mistake though ‘Warpaint’ is still a really decent hard rock album, and it is a breath of fresh air compared to the turgid bullshit being peddled as the next big thing by certain other record labels, it’s just for me it lacks that immediate knockout punch that some of the band’s previous album possessed in spades, so for now, I’ll leave my love-light on standby.

Buy ‘Warpaint’: Here

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Author: Johnny Hayward