At the beginning of 2024, Sons of Silver released the excellent ‘Tell Me This’, a single which advertised the US rock band with a real sense of gusto. Powering the verse, the track’s stop start riff harked back to a world of classic influences, with its overdriven sounds paying homage in part to ‘Electric’ era Cult, but sharing a retro heart that didn’t feel too far removed from the underrated Izzy Stradlin and the Juju Hounds. With a wealth of musical grit augmented by a pleasingly ragged vocal, it stood proudly as one of the year’s best underground rock tracks. The fact that it could’ve been recorded at any point during the last thirty five years really worked in its favour, too, giving Sons of Silver a tune that – going forward – could help them stand alongside some of the better known names in classic rock.
The band clearly recognised that number’s brilliance and potentially enduring qualities, as it’s been resurrected to kick off their 2025 long player. A year on, ‘Tell Me This’ has lost none of its punch, although it might be fair to say that it actually sounds sharper than the bulk of the material that makes up the core of ‘Runaway Emotions’. It isn’t that the album is weak – far from it – but rather that the single is so good, some of the other Sons of Silver tunes feel like slow-burners by comparison.
Give the material some time, however, and this album shares a selection of songs that really show off the band’s talents for classic sounding hard rock hooks. ‘Warning Signs’ sits alongside ‘Tell Me This’ in terms of old school thrills, when a ragged guitar riff – falling somewhere between the trashy rock ‘n’ roll of Guns N’ Roses ‘You Could Be’ mine and more recent works by powerhouse vocalist Myles Kennedy – takes centre stage. The influences might draw from classic, older stock, but this doesn’t disguise the quality of the musicianship within. Here, guitarist Kevin Haaland plays up a storm, working choppy riffs with a tough edge, whilst vocalist Pete Argyropoulos (aka Pete RG) adds a slightly gruff yet melodic tone which really sells the track’s chorus. Listen more closely, though, and you’ll hear both of these dominant forces being outshone by Candlebox bassist Adam Kury. Beneath the harder edged moments, he offers some busy bottom end riffs, and by the time everything reaches full flow, he augments the tune with a fantastic descending riff that really lifts this old style hard rock number to new heights.
‘Giving It Back’ adopts more of a retro twang from the lead guitar, and by allowing the bass to take the lead, there’s almost a goth-ish tone to the verse. Normal hard rock service is resumed on a simple pre-chorus where power chords underscore repetition of the title, before Pete reaches inside himself for a broader tone. Stretching the melodic elements a little further, his voice sounds great against a wall of guitars, celebrating a sound that falls somewhere between Alter Bridge and the more melodic end of the Shinedown catalogue. With a few harmony vocals thrown in to flesh out the coda and a bigger nod to old school melodic metal, this is the kind of track that sounds very mature without sounding stale. At the other end of the scale, ‘Friends’ shares an unexpected piano ballad, where Pete taps into a vocal that would’ve suited the much-missed Chris Cornell. It’s great to hear him approach a big melody in such a stripped back fashion, proving there’s often more to Sons of Silver than hard rock bluster. For those who came looking for big riffs, however, ‘Ghosts’ will not disappoint, with howling, blues-tinged guitars opening the number against a barrelling drum part. Having given the listener a welcome jolt, the number than settles into another enjoyable hard rock workout where solid grooves share a love of a classic rock sound, fused with traces of Candlebox. During this number, the guitar work is almost as prominent as the vocal, resulting in something that sounds forceful without feeling forced, but if anything sticks, it’ll be a simple hook where the title is used to punctuate several rhymed phrases. There’s nothing flashy here – just good, honest hard tock that feels familiar, but for those who still miss Tommy Vance’s Radio 1 Rock Show circa 1990, there’s plenty that’ll entertain.
Elsewhere, ‘Hold Tight’ weaves a dual guitar sound into another Cult-ish workout, whilst Pete finds a vaguely gruff tone that’s near perfect for the retro sound, before everything changes tack to make room for a more modern sounding hook (relatively speaking). The shift into brighter sounds creates something with more of a feel good heart without detracting from a tough edge, whilst ‘Baby Hang On’ fuses a by now familiar guitar sound with some rollocking bar room riffs. It’s the sound of the Silver lads at their most disposable, yet at the same time, there’s a pure heart to this number which still feels genuine. Factor in a rootsy sounding lead guitar break, stabbing piano sounds, and a few unexpected handclaps, and this adds something with more of a party spirit to this ten track collection.
There’s not anything that’s especially new or striking about the Sons of Silver sound, but this union between Candlebox, Splender and Skillet members celebrates a melodic rock sound with a slightly retro-alternative twist in a really solid way. With solid playing throughout, and a few tracks sharing some big chorus hooks, this is the kind of hard rock release that aims to appeal to a very broad audience. Although a lot of the material takes a little longer to appreciate than the immediately great ‘Tell Me This’ might have suggested, ‘Runaway Emotions’ is a full length debut that shows how an often familiar sound can still yield a massive amount of power. It’ll take a few plays to really work its magic, but stick with it – the listening rewards are certainly worth it in the long run.
December 2024
If you’ve enjoyed this or anything else at Real Gone recently, please help us to stay online as we go into 2025 by buying us a coffee here. The cost of every cuppa goes towards our site’s hosting bill! Thanks!