Classic Rock Bottom

The Black Star Riders are back with their third studio release, kicking off 2017 by bringing us Heavy Fire.  For those who are unfamiliar with the band, it was formed out of the ashes of what was the turn of the century incarnation of Thin Lizzy.  No original members remained in Thin Lizzy, but Scott Gorham was a long time guitarist in the band. After some serious reflection, this current lineup decided to change the band name to Black Star Riders.  Smart move. The band consists of Ricky Warwick (lead vocals and guitar), Scott Gorham (lead guitar), Damon Johnson (lead guitar and vocals), Robert Crane (bass guitar) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drums).

For me, I enjoyed each of the first two releases.  All Hell Breaks Loose, the debut, was released in 2013. It had some very good songs and some average songs (my opinion, of course), but it felt back loaded to me.  The follow up, The Killer Instinct, was unleashed in 2015.  I enjoyed that album a bit more than the debut, but it actually felt front loaded to me.  So what would the third effort bring?  Well, I'll list some brief remarks regarding each song below, then I'll give my final opinion:

Heavy Fire - The lead and title track busts out of the gate fully engaged.  The now familiar voice of Ricky Warwick kicks this song into motion.  Lyrically, it's exactly what I've come to expect from Warwick.  But the band throws an early curve at just past the 90 second mark by changing pace.  I dig it.  A lot.  But after nearly 90 more seconds, they pick it back up to the original pace with some back ground sirens.  Love this song!

When The Night Comes In - Okay, I'm gonna say it.  This song sounds like a really good Rick Springfield song.  The drum beat is faster than what I'm used to from BSR.  The guitar solo is hot, but a bit short.  It took a few spins for this song to grow on me, but it has and it keeps the album moving along nicely.

Dancing With The Wrong Girl - This is one of those nostalgic tracks that Warwick always does a good job with.  I don't think the chorus is great, but the more I spin it, the more I like it.  I definitely enjoy DeGrasso's drumming on this one. The twin guitars live on as well.

Who Rides The Tiger - "All you need is Jesus and a .44, a contradiction in faith and a sprung dance floor, the pulse of a nation at war with it's own, tonight we're gonna party like it's 1791".  This song is killer.  Heavy and rockin'. The guitar solo is heavy as hell.  If you can't get pumped to this song, there's something wrong with you.  Have yourself checked.

Cold War Love - You knew it had to slow down a bit somewhere.  Cold War Love is the obligatory "ballad".  It has a very modern intro with just a light guitar line. Warwick's voice comes in easy and immediately soothes the palate.  If I had a complaint here, it would be that the song is quite repetitive.  Normally I wouldn't care for that. But the melody and production of the song are just too damn good to ignore.  The lead guitars that run beneath the vocals really add to that killer production and make this song excellent.  It's a shame you can't hear new music like this on the radio anymore.

Testify or Say Goodbye - This might be the best song on the album.  Again, Warwick does a tremendous job with the lyrical landscape.  The bass tone is very noticeable.  The backing vocals are performed by Pearl Aday, wife of Scott Ian of Anthrax.  She does a great job and adds tremendously to the song.  

Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed - A killer bass tone kicks off track number seven.  Warwick's vocals work really good again on this song.  I wouldn't call this the most complex song the band has ever done,  but the twin lead guitars sound cool.  The solo proper is again short but nice.  This might be the closest thing so far to filler, but I still enjoy listening to it.  It wouldn't be the first filler track that I've ever liked.

True Blue Kid - "Ladies and gentlemen".  That's how True Blue Kid starts.  For me, it's another song in which the chorus doesn't feel quite as good to me as the verses do.  I don't dislike this one, but if you forced me to pick my least favorite track on the album, this one would be it.  

Ticket To Rise - The penultimate song gave me little different reaction from the previous two songs.  The chorus feels much better than the verses.  There's a team of ladies performing some killer backing vocals, and that makes all the difference in the song for me.  It takes an average at best song and makes it a terrific track.

Letting Go of Me - The closer is pretty much a straight ahead rocker.  It's not flashy and doesn't standout, but it's also not grand and epic, the way I prefer my album closer.  But I do like the rolling drums.

So there you have it.  These ten songs come in at right about 40 minutes, which is perfect.  There is a version with a bonus track on it, but I do not have that one, therefore there is no review of that track.  Once again, there are two or three songs toward the end that just aren't quite up to standards when compared with the absolutely best tracks.  Heavy Fire, Who Rides The Tiger, Cold War Love and Testify Or Say Goodbye are songs that are as good as any this band has produced.  I'll give the album an above average rating and say that if you are a fan of good old fashion rock and roll, you should check this one out.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Star Riders

 

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Nice write up, RJhog. I've been on the fence about buying this one but your review is pushing me towards making the purchase.

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