When it comes to hard rock and metal guitar playing. there’s a fine line between melodic, harmonious workouts and empty, soulless fretboard bashing for the sake of it. For every player who understands the importance of filling several bars with succinct and thoughtful soloing, there are a thousand John Petrucci wannabes who think – oft like Dream Theater themselves – that notes and flash are a thousand times more impressive than actual tunes…and just because we can see them pulling orgasm faces while bending strings at lightning speeds, we’ll somehow feel the magic too. They’re wrong, of course.
Tag Archives: hard rock
PLASTIC RHINO – Recondition EP
US alt-rockers Plastic Rhino mean business on their second release ‘Recondition’, as they celebrate a trashy hard rock sound with a nineties slant. Bringing back riffs from a (mostly) pre-grunge world, there’s a retro quality, though surprisingly, given the potentially disposable feel of some of the material, there’s a defiant steering away from the more obvious glam roots. Each track is loaded with a tough riff and often a strongly suitable melody, but those riffs are rarely pivotal in making Plastic Rhino’s material hit with a sizable punch, it’s never really Jack Glazer’s guitar playing that leaves an indelible mark. His playing is rhythmically solid without any hint of flashiness, for it doesn’t need an overt flair; the winning factor throughout these seven songs is frontwoman Atara Gottschalk (ex-Luxx), a performer who approaches each performance with consummate ease, whether called upon for something gritty, slightly unnerving or a more obvious rock wail.
STORMBRINGER – Blood & Rust
Nottingham rockers Stormbringer worked hard to promote their debut album ‘MMXIII’ with a slew of gigs, including appearances at the renowned Bloodstock and Download festivals. At the point where they were really gaining momentum, vocalist Mike Stockley moved on. His replacement, Jimi Brown was an instantly good fit with the band, his voice – occasionally sounding like the Whitfield Crane of Ugly Kid Joe tackling something more in the classic rock mould – is suitably powerful enough to make his presence felt over Stormbringer’s monster riffs. …And if it’s riffs you came for, then – even with an important change in band personnel to contend with – ‘Blood & Rust’ really should not disappoint.
New Slam Cartel single now streaming online
‘Storm Seasoned’, the new single from UK hard rock band Slam Cartel is out now. You can take a listen using the band’s official YouTube upload embedded below.
VOODOO HILL – Waterfall
After three releases with Black Country Communion and one with subsequent spin-off band California Breed, legendary rock vocalist Glenn Hughes found himself very much back in vogue and at the top of his game. Those releases gained Glenn some of the most enthusiastic press he’d gained since the 70s. With that in mind, you’d think the next best move would be to relaunch his solo career and potentially give the world his strongest solo work since 1994 ‘From Now On’.