DEAD MAN'S WHISKEY
Dead Man’s Whiskey are a five-piece band hailing from London. The line-up consists of vocalist Nico Rogers, Billy Kons and Elliott D'Alvarez on lead and rhythm guitar respectively, James Titley on bass and drummer Charlie Gray. Well, they say you can’t judge a book by its cover and that rule certainly applies to this CD, which is a re-release of the band’s debut album, originally issued back in May ‘17. The artwork and, indeed, the band’s name strongly suggest that the music contained within will be a country rock offering in the vein of Blackberry Smoke or The Cadillac Three.
In fact, the brief spoken word intro aside, which indicates the origin of the band’s name and mentions Wild Bill Hickock, the music on offer here is nine tracks of relentlessly driving hard rock, powered along by the drumming of Charlie Gray who plays like a combination of a metronome and a jack hammer.
Each cut has its merits but the highlights for me are ‘This Fight’, which has an intro reminiscent of Pearl Jam’s ‘Even Flow’ and is built around a massive riff and Rogers’ gravelly vocals; ‘Make You Proud’, which provides a moment of relief from the otherwise non-stop aural onslaught with its slightly more ballad like approach (although it builds into an all-out rocker with a great solo from Kons); ‘War Machine’, which the word onomatopoeia could have been invented for with its pounding rhythm and unabated tempo; and ‘Racing Bullet’, which has an energy and intensity that encapsulates all that has preceded it.
In summary, this is an excellent effort, full of power and spirit with a full-bodied, sonorous production to match. It seems that Dead Man’s Whiskey are working hard to make a name for themselves with a touring schedule, both headline and support, that is as incessant as their music. On the strength of this release, I wouldn’t hesitate to catch them live and I recommend that you do, too!
In fact, the brief spoken word intro aside, which indicates the origin of the band’s name and mentions Wild Bill Hickock, the music on offer here is nine tracks of relentlessly driving hard rock, powered along by the drumming of Charlie Gray who plays like a combination of a metronome and a jack hammer.
Each cut has its merits but the highlights for me are ‘This Fight’, which has an intro reminiscent of Pearl Jam’s ‘Even Flow’ and is built around a massive riff and Rogers’ gravelly vocals; ‘Make You Proud’, which provides a moment of relief from the otherwise non-stop aural onslaught with its slightly more ballad like approach (although it builds into an all-out rocker with a great solo from Kons); ‘War Machine’, which the word onomatopoeia could have been invented for with its pounding rhythm and unabated tempo; and ‘Racing Bullet’, which has an energy and intensity that encapsulates all that has preceded it.
In summary, this is an excellent effort, full of power and spirit with a full-bodied, sonorous production to match. It seems that Dead Man’s Whiskey are working hard to make a name for themselves with a touring schedule, both headline and support, that is as incessant as their music. On the strength of this release, I wouldn’t hesitate to catch them live and I recommend that you do, too!
LABEL:
FORMAT:
McCall Records
Album
UNDER THE GUN RELOADED
Review by Dave Uphill
RUNNING TIME:
45:02
RELEASE DATE:
5th April 2019
TRACK LISTING
1) The Ballad of Jack McCall
2) Live Loud & Ready
3) This Fight
4) My Year
5) Hoe Street (E17)
6) Make You Proud
7) War Machine
8) Rooster Crows
9) Raising Hell
10) Racing Bullet
2) Live Loud & Ready
3) This Fight
4) My Year
5) Hoe Street (E17)
6) Make You Proud
7) War Machine
8) Rooster Crows
9) Raising Hell
10) Racing Bullet
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"...full of power and spirit with a full-bodied, sonorous production to match."
