The Right Honourable 2017
Swallow
Chew it up, not spit it out: have your fill of a metal pill – classic to the core.
There was a rumor of HEAVY PETTIN’ getting back in action in 2017 yet, having moved to the fore, the NWOBHM heroes’ drummer Gary Moat unveiled a band of his own instead. With a Bon Scott bone in their screaming riffs, BOW set out to prove that the “Rock Ain’t Dead” maxim is still relevant, and this album’s opening numbers – its eponymous launcher and the title track – immediately grab the listener by the scruff of the neck to not let go until “Best Of Your Life” has blissfully put a final infectious chorus to bed.
Tension and release reign supreme here, as pop hooks delve deep into metal veneer, so cuts such as “Pulling It Out” fuse fierceness of performance to a mischievous smile – buoyed by a bobbing bass and blistering guitars – while “Medusa” adds funky fury to the mix. Of course, the likes of “She’s A Dirty Love” follow a classically lascivious template, yet that doesn’t get in the way of folk-inspired romanticism, “Your Love (Is All I Need)” baring the ensemble’s Celtic roots. Traditional in all aspects, British steel can’t get better than that – and why should it?
****
