Blog Post
THE NEW ROSES - 'Sweet Poison'
Laura DQ • 16 October 2022
Album Review
Germany has a history of producing great rock bands; from the classic rock excellence of Scorpions to the overblown power metal pioneered by Helloween and the industrial stomp of Rammstein. The New Roses don’t sound like any of those, instead offering up stadium ready anthems that demand you crank up the volume and have a good time. Fifth album Sweet Poison isn’t breaking any new ground, but with hooks that’ll be indelibly stamped on your brain after the first listen, it doesn’t really need to.
Opening track My Kinda Crazy sets the tone, an uncompromising blast of straight up rock and roll built on a big riff and an even bigger chorus. It’s a winning formula, also used to great effect on recent singles Usual Suspects and 1st Time for Everything. There’s no messing around, no lengthy solos, just great melodies, powerful vocals and plenty of ‘woahs’ and ‘yeahs’ to get you punching the air.
It’s an album that hits it’s peak somewhere around the middle; Warpaint amps up the aggression with pounding drums, an infectious shout-along refrain and heavy guitar groove. Dead Of Night is an atmospheric centrepiece, darker in feel and really highlighting the gravel in frontman Timmy Rough’s voice. And if you like things heavy, The Lion In You will also tick your boxes with it’s raging, almost punk attitude, shaking you to ‘wake up’.
Unusually, the slower numbers really shine; All I Ever Needed is an unapologetic power ballad with a soaring, emotionally charged chorus guaranteed to get listeners misty eyed. True Love a gentler, acoustic track that shows Rough’s vocals at their most exposed. He and drummer Urban Berz harmonise beautifully, as they do throughout. The Veins of this Town closes the album, another tender track that builds to a moving, heartfelt crescendo.
One taste of this Sweet Poison definitely won’t be enough.