COLLATERAL
Armed with a band name that primes precisely the style of music you'd expect to hear - retro hard rock - indeed, Collateral have decided to ride the resurgent tide of said genre on their debut four tracker. Titled '4 Shots!, there's four of 'em in the band; equipped with four songs; and what we have here are four shots of nicely crafted 80s rock nostalgia.
Title-wise, opener 'Going with the Wind' has echoes of Spinal Tap... 'Break Like the Wind', anyone? The whole vibe of the track is not too dissimilar, either. Flatulence aside, it's a decent, enjoyable enough pastiched tribute to rock of yore. Stylistically, they also worship at the temple of Bon Jovi as well as McKean, Guest and Shearer, as there are more than a few passing similarities to Jon Bon & co. - emphatically so on EP closer, 'Just Waiting For You'.
It's the same story across the four tracks - clean and acoustic guitars combine well with distorted chords and leads; a prominence of bass in the mix that lends their sound a nice resonant weight; some pretty standard, though competent, rock drumming; and the very likeable vocals of frontman Angelo Tristan... who also happens to be pretty nifty with adding a little fretboard shred here and there.
Solid performances, a fun vibe, decent tunes, these first "4 shots" of Collateral are a great showcase for their talents. Apparently, they have the image sorted, too, as press blurb informs they have "ripped jeans, cowboy boots, long hair and plenty of eye-liner"... a costume to complete primed expectations of their retro revelry and twenty first century Spinal Tap reverence (be it deliberate or inadvertent). Sit back and enjoy this compact slab of Spinal Jovi.
Title-wise, opener 'Going with the Wind' has echoes of Spinal Tap... 'Break Like the Wind', anyone? The whole vibe of the track is not too dissimilar, either. Flatulence aside, it's a decent, enjoyable enough pastiched tribute to rock of yore. Stylistically, they also worship at the temple of Bon Jovi as well as McKean, Guest and Shearer, as there are more than a few passing similarities to Jon Bon & co. - emphatically so on EP closer, 'Just Waiting For You'.
It's the same story across the four tracks - clean and acoustic guitars combine well with distorted chords and leads; a prominence of bass in the mix that lends their sound a nice resonant weight; some pretty standard, though competent, rock drumming; and the very likeable vocals of frontman Angelo Tristan... who also happens to be pretty nifty with adding a little fretboard shred here and there.
Solid performances, a fun vibe, decent tunes, these first "4 shots" of Collateral are a great showcase for their talents. Apparently, they have the image sorted, too, as press blurb informs they have "ripped jeans, cowboy boots, long hair and plenty of eye-liner"... a costume to complete primed expectations of their retro revelry and twenty first century Spinal Tap reverence (be it deliberate or inadvertent). Sit back and enjoy this compact slab of Spinal Jovi.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Roulette Media
EP
4 SHOTS!
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
18:29
RELEASE DATE:
23rd Nov 2018
TRACK LISTING
1) Going with the Wind
2) Midnight Queen
3) Angels Crying
4) Just Waiting for You
2) Midnight Queen
3) Angels Crying
4) Just Waiting for You
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"...four shots of nicely crafted 80s rock nostalgia."
