Salvation – ‘We Gave You Diamonds’ (Timeslip)

Salvation – ‘We Gave You Diamonds’ (Timeslip)

Having recently seen the band perform live supporting The Mission I spent a few days wondering where I’d seen them before (probably due to brain fog, age and the bands inactivity over the last few decades) and then it came flooding back. “Back in the day”, Salvation played that fateful evening of legend (in my house) supporting The Lords Of The New Church when Stiv wore that T Shirt and fired the band on stage. Anyway moving on some thirty years! (ah that brain fog) I find myself listening to this here live album and it sent memories flooding back from that fateful night. To be fair the songs sounded great when I saw them recently, even with the help of the rhythm section in a box it was a decent support on that Mission tour.

Songs like ‘Debris’ and ‘All And More’ sound great and sparked a flick through my record collection knowing I had at least one of their studio albums, and so it was, ‘Sass’ an album that is well represented here with ‘Paint It Rose’ having a great rolling Cult-like riff that leads this upbeat number.

This live recording captures a band that clearly loves the music they play, and to be fair, The songs have dated really well seeing as they’ve not been played for an age. From the opener ‘The Answer’, with it’s vibrant tempo. It’s something many bands, who to be fair, haven’t played a great deal over the past thirty years don’t quite capture. I’ve always liked that big overdriven guitar sound and having strong melodies always helps.

There are eleven tracks on this CD and a twelve-page booklet to accompany it. Sure fans of The Cult, Mission, and Sisters will be all over this and it’s a no-brainer if you caught any of the band’s recent shows some of these songs will be familiar anyway but Rock fans looking for a new “old band” who had a whole bunch of top tunes – dive in!

‘The Shining’ is a burst of energy before ‘Pearl Necklace’ then raises the bar. I’d love to hear what the band are currently creating studio-wise and see if they can still capture a sound that brings back such good memories. Finishing off with the vibrant ‘Why Lie?’ with its glugging bassline and rolling guitar lick it’s a great set ender.

Go seek Salvation in this live snapshot that contains some really good driven hard rock meets Goth that is delivered really well by a band who clearly still loves music.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

Duncan Reid & The Big Heads – ‘Live At Akkurat’ (For The Love Of Beer, Whiskey, Food & Music) (Self Release)

Duncan Reid & The Big Heads – ‘Live At Akkurat’ (For The Love Of Beer, Whiskey, Food & Music) (Self Release)

So Lockdown,  did we mention we’re still under lockdown?  No live shows No clubs or venues heaving with happy smiling people falling out into the late evening streets. Well before the apocalypse, there were bands who toured the globe in search of those happy smiling faces and entertaining them with their tunes of merriment and creating memories that would last a lifetime some of those bands were exceptionally good at entertaining and one of them has decided to release one such evening in Sweden for our listening pleasure.  Not wanting to be down about it that band – Duncan Reid & The Big Heads were to be fair or should that read are exceptionally good at, to be fair I’ve also said that as much as I love the music on record or CD live is where they really do shine and the sound (complete and dare I say enhanced) with its rough edges is much better for the energy and living in the moment than they can capture on record.

 

For those of you who don’t know, Duncan used to be one of The Boys so knows a thing or two about writing top tunes and about what it takes to be a great Rock and Roll band and to his credit, he’s surrounded himself with some excellent musicians (in their own right) and musicians who trade off each other to create what is one of the finest bands you could wish to see in any venue be it the cavernous surroundings of the theatre at Rebellion or a small upstairs room of a Bristol Bar they will come and rock the socks off you and you will bloody well enjoy every minute of it.  This leads me in a roundabout sort of way to why these words are here.

 

‘Live at Akkurat’ might not be the Hollywood bowl nor is it Maddison Square Gardens but I bet the audience that evening of this recording didn’t care a jot because they were too busy having the time of their lives with Duncan and his Big Heads.

 

The album kicks off with the sprightly ‘Can’t Stop’ and motors straight into the boptastic ‘Montevideo’ the band means business and the recording has (thankfully) captured what the band exudes in the live surroundings and that’s the best of times and of course some top tunes. Going from the opening track off ‘Bombs Away’ straight into the first album deep cut of ‘Montevideo’ is a fantastic one-two. Heading for the hattrick there a raw ‘Cèst La Vie’ that motors along.

 

Duncan’s interval banter isn’t lost on the Swedes as he introduces ‘Baby Doll’ and again the mix of synth and raw guitars works well. You do get to hear how tight the band is which might be lost when you’re watching them live such is the amount of energy they put into every performance and the blend of keys and guitars works a treat on ‘Just Because You’re Paranoid’. ‘Rolling On’ sounds great and the vocals are excellent as it heads into ‘Bombs Away’ that certainly benefits from the rough edges of a live performance.

 

Through all twelve songs on offer here you do get the sense of how bloody good this band is and what a good songwriter Duncan is. Over the post Boys output how he’s managed to pen some right belters, ‘C’mon Josephine’ into ‘Wasting Time’ and then into ‘That’s The Way It Is’ followed by the epic ’77’ they’re very different songs but blend together so well and show off those talents.

 

Before the end, we get to hear the band take on and pay respect to his previous day job and Honest John Plain in particular with a great rendition of ‘First Time’ which only leaves a trashy romp through ‘One Time In Rio’ before bowing out.

 

Whilst it’s fantastic to hear this recording and I’m sure everyone who downloads this album will agree its a double-edged treat, on the one hand, it’s a fitting tribute to a great live band, the flip side is I feel sad that it’s been over twelve months since I’ve been to a sweaty venue and clapped eyes on a live rock and roll band like Duncan Reid & The Big Heads.  Hopefully, this can signal the beginning of the end of a real Annus horribilis for us live music fans and with this recording, at least we can celebrate what live music should be all about.  Entertaining, Great songs, great performers great live set.  Just Buy it! that’s my advice because it’s like a ray of sunshine and a reminder of what’s coming soon enough when we can all experience this again.  Good on you Duncan and those Big Heads you rock!  All for a fiver? Bargain of the year!

Buy it Here

Author: Dom Daley

 

 

The Cutthroat Brothers release new video for ‘Taste For Evil’

The Cutthroat Brothers release new video for ‘Taste For Evil’

This video was shot at the legendary Berlin punk club, ‘Wild at Heart’ on the first night of the tour. Burlesque troupe The Velvet Creepers joined the band on stage that night. The track is taken from their second album ‘Taste For Evil’ released on Hound Gawd! Records and was reviewed Here   During the global lockdown the band released an excellent live album recorded on their recent European Tour check out the review and link to buy it Here 

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Bullet – ‘Live’ (Steamhammer/SPV)

Bullet – ‘Live’ (Steamhammer/SPV)

FUCK IT!!!!!!! My neighbours have just decided to start hacking the render off the outside of their house using a jackhammer, so I think the only sane and rational thing for me to do is crank the all new double live LP from Swedish Heavy Metallers Bullet up to 11 and give them some payback.

It’s actually been 9 years since I first encountered the live tour de force that is Bullet blowing headliners Hardcore Superstar into outer space with a brand of Heavy Metal very much steeped in the tradition of bands like Saxon, Krokus and perhaps most closely Accept.  Bullet are a band who play balls to the wall Metal complete with flying V guitars, studded wrist gauntlets, and stretch black jeans so tight they split on stage, something that did actually happen to guitarist Hampus Klang (and what a name for a six-string slinger that is) the night I saw them.

Recorded across three shows on the band’s 2017 Storm of Blades tour and their 2018 Dust To Gold tour the eighteen tracks contained here capture the ferocity and energy of Bullet live whilst retaining a clarity that is often lost with a lot of modern Metal bands. Granted vocalist Hell Hofer has one of those Marmite voices that is part Udo Storace and part Davros but anthemic tunes such as ‘Riding High’, ‘Speed And Attack’, the extended ‘Highway Love’ and set closer ‘Bite The Bullet’ transcend any vocal elitism you might still be harbouring and will soon have you chanting along with your fist pumping high in the air.

Remember the halcyon days when live albums were “must buys” and contained all killer and no filler? Well, Bullet has managed to capture the soul of ‘Live and Dangerous’, the intensity of ‘If You Want Blood’ and the solidarity of ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ to deliver possibly the best live Metal album you will hear anywhere this year. In fact, it’s so live that I can almost smell the dry ice and feel the heat of the pyro as the band explode into opener ‘Storm Of Blades’.

The PR blurb that accompanies ‘Live’ has Klang proudly declaring that the double live album contains eighteen all original songs and no covers (and so he should), what he also should have said is each and every one of these tunes is guaranteed to give the listener headbangers neck, such is the infectious nature of this feelgood record….oh and there’s no fucking ballads either.

Released on July 5th as a 2 CD digipak and gatefold 180gms double LP pressed on black vinyl that also contains a poster and the 2 CDs in paper sleeves, it sounds to me like the latter is the one all true Bulletheads will be looking out for.

So ‘Turn It Up Loud’ brothers and sisters, because Bullet ‘Live’ officially drowns out jackhammers and I am the living proof to that fact.

Buy Bullet ‘Live’ Here

Author: Johnny Hayward