| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Heavy Fire When The Night Comes In Dancing With The Wrong Girl Who Rides The Tiger Cold War Love Testify Or Say Goodbye Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed True Blue Kid Ticket To Rise Letting Go Of Me Release Date: February 3, 2017 Label: Nuclear Blast Records Website: www.blackstarriders.com www.facebook.com/BlackStarRidersOfficial www.twitter.com/BlackStarRiders |  |
BLACK STAR RIDERS IS:
Ricky Warwick - Vocals & guitars Scott Gorham - Guitars Damon Johnson - Guitars
Robbie Crane - Bass Jimmy DeGrasso - Drums
Ricky Warwick - Vocals & guitars Scott Gorham - Guitars Damon Johnson - Guitars
Robbie Crane - Bass Jimmy DeGrasso - Drums
When you have a band as revered as Thin Lizzy and a frontman as iconic as Phil Lynott, a new Thin Lizzy record without Phil would be sacrilege. That's why in 2012, when the current version of the band decided to write new material, changing the name of the band was the right thing to do out of respect to Phil and his legacy, and that's how Black Star Riders was born. 2013 saw the band release it's amazing debut All Hell Breaks Loose, followed by the incredible sophomore effort The Killer Instinct two years later, and now here we are in 2017 with the band's third effort Heavy Fire. Much like its predecessors, the elements of the classic Thin Lizzy sound such as the signature dual guitar attack and the straightforward hard rock punch continue to be on great display on this album, along with fantastic vocals and slamming grooves.
When you think about it, it's pretty crazy how close the opening riff to "When The Night Comes In" sounds to AC/DC. Vocally, Ricky Warwick continues to shine with his Phil Lynott-esque vocals throughout the album and he sounds great. There's no ballads to be found, but "Cold War Love" is more laid back compared to the rest of the record. This track, along with "Testify Or Say Goodbye" and "Ticket To Rise" bleed catchiness with the tasty melodic hooks and impressive vocal deliveries. Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson fire on all cylinders unleashing amazing riffs full of groove and melody.
Another track that stands out is the title track with its tempo change and riffs that sound straight out of 1977. Because of this, it's one of the album's heavier tracks. Black Star Riders aren't out to start a musical revolution. Their main focus is providing straight-to-the-point, quality, classic-sounding modern hard rock that every type of rock fan out there will enjoy. After listening to Heavy Fire, I can definitely say that this is the band's best effort so far. They have topped The Killer Instinct, but I would say only by a notch. It's a strong contender for hard rock album of the year.
Highs: "Heavy Fire", "Cold War Love", "Testify Or Say Goodbye" and "Ticket To Rise"
Lows: Nothing ground-breaking.
Final Rating: 8/10
When you think about it, it's pretty crazy how close the opening riff to "When The Night Comes In" sounds to AC/DC. Vocally, Ricky Warwick continues to shine with his Phil Lynott-esque vocals throughout the album and he sounds great. There's no ballads to be found, but "Cold War Love" is more laid back compared to the rest of the record. This track, along with "Testify Or Say Goodbye" and "Ticket To Rise" bleed catchiness with the tasty melodic hooks and impressive vocal deliveries. Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson fire on all cylinders unleashing amazing riffs full of groove and melody.
Another track that stands out is the title track with its tempo change and riffs that sound straight out of 1977. Because of this, it's one of the album's heavier tracks. Black Star Riders aren't out to start a musical revolution. Their main focus is providing straight-to-the-point, quality, classic-sounding modern hard rock that every type of rock fan out there will enjoy. After listening to Heavy Fire, I can definitely say that this is the band's best effort so far. They have topped The Killer Instinct, but I would say only by a notch. It's a strong contender for hard rock album of the year.
Highs: "Heavy Fire", "Cold War Love", "Testify Or Say Goodbye" and "Ticket To Rise"
Lows: Nothing ground-breaking.
Final Rating: 8/10
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