To cut a long story short, this is another fan funded pledge album, something we all have to get used to and I have no problem with this as long as it gives talented musicians a platform to deliver music to the masses. I may also add that I am a fan of the band, this was instant from the first time I saw them live and they remain one of my favourite live bands. I also possess the bands two earlier albums so I could be seen as the wrong person to review this album. Then again I can see how far the band has developed their own sound and how the production level has improved with each album. Having followed the Idol Dead’s progress this also left me a bit apprehensive, scared even, before my first listen back on it’s release late in 2014. What if it didn’t live up to my high expectations from these five talented musicians?
Crash-Bang-Wallop, the first song in has me grinning like a Cheshire cat, lifts me out of my chair and gloriously bouncing around like Tigger! Second tune in ‘Summer That Never Was’ is the pop-iest song on the album, a chirpy little number that I’ve enjoyed live over the past year. ‘Everybody Knows Your Name’ opens up with a grinding metal riff and the chorus, it’s a pretty heavy song with, in parts, a Nu-Metal vocal delivery. ‘Bar At The Edge Of Time’ is just way too catchy and has turned into one of my favourites on the album. Having said that I have woke up in the middle of the night on a few occasions and cursed the band for giving me a song that won’t leave my head! ‘Slave’ gets all heavy again, how the hell does a band manage to cover so many musical styles and influences in one album yet clearly remain The Idol Dead is beyond my comprehension.
And now, as a fan of Quireboys & Dogs D’amour, the song that stood out for me on my first few listens ‘Black Eyes & Prose’. I love a bit of piano in rock music and this has it, after an acoustic start, it effortlessly moves along rockin & a’rollin. A beautiful song that has me dancing and singing along interchanging between air guitar and air piano, clapping my hands and then air drumming at the back of the bus! It would get repetitive for me to review every song with the same plaudits, because every song has riff after glorious fucking riff, catchy choruses, foot stomping, fist clenching anthems, wonderful guitar solos and impressive musicianship!
Another scolding hot and heavy riff opens up ‘Burn Me’ and then drink away your pain with ‘Silver Bullet Cocktail’. A dirty little riff opens ‘Suicide Pact’ which is another quality mid paced track. Which leads us into the penultimate track, a song about The Idol Army, yes the fans get a massive thank you with this punky/pop tune, which is to soon be accompanied by a video. The album finishes with an emotional and monumental song ‘Beyond Redemption’, showcasing the bands song writing talents, it’s a slower melodic tune, which again builds, speeding up into choruses and is a breathtaking finale to an outstanding album. I’m not a professional music reviewer and even they revert to comparing band sounds. So as an amateur I am going to say this, if members of Terrorvision ever collaborated with members of The Wildhearts, at best, this is what I think they would sound like.
Released 14th December 2014
If members of Terrorvision ever collaborated with members of The Wildhearts, at best, this is what I think they would sound like.
