Those Damn Crows

Hailing from Bridgend, Wales the pathway is set and these guys are looking like they will follow the same level of trajectory as other successful bands from the Celtic nation. Most current fans will be familiar with some of the tracks on this release but there will be many new fans out there getting their first taste of Those Damn Crows and this is the time to indulge.

From the moment ‘Don’t Give a Damn’ blasts out with it’s heavy, crunchy, riff laden sound it is impossible not to be hooked and the sentiment is clear, “talk all you like, think what you want of me”. They just want to write and play their songs, if you like them, then great, if you don’t so what and move on! ‘Blink of An Eye’ follows on from the opener and vocalist Shane Greenhall takes on shades of Eddie Vedder and Layne Stayley of Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains respectively. My god this guy has a great voice and the chorus is such that you cannot help to sing along, “you gotta hit the lows to feel the highs” and if the lows have been hit the only way is highs for these guys now. If you haven’t already checked out the piano led version of Shane playing solo on YouTube you need to. If it could it probably should have been included on the album as an extra track to pay testament to Shane’s softer vocal range and obvious capability and offer up a more gentler side to the heady riffs and energy of the album, no people I’m not screaming for a ballad here!

‘Someone Someday’ follows on and gives me the initial feeling of Bush and Gavin Rossdale but don’t be fooled by thinking this is pandering to the post grunge genre, this is a solid, contemporary slice of modern Hard Rock that stands by itself but will always have the obvious comparisons to bands that have been around for a while and the relative newcomers, whether that be Alter Bridge, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam or Stone Broken, you get the idea!

Having caught them live recently at the Kentish Town Forum the next track ‘Rock And Roll Ain’t Dead’ just works on every level live, the message is clear and audience involvement was plain to see, it’s not dead, it’s not sleeping it’s alive and well and lives in this anthemic song.

‘Behind These Walls’, ‘Say It’ and ‘Seven days’ are up next and Ian ‘Shiner’ Thomas and David Winchurch show their shredding capabilities with some serious breakdowns and string bending precision, my pick of the three was the angry, attitude driven ‘Say It’, words that most people can relate to if they possess the kahunas!

For me, if I am honest the latter part of the release feels like it is repeating itself in regards the musical direction and overall sound, don’t get me wrong the songs are not bad and ‘Breakaway’ has got a great chorus again with some solid playing and it is here that I mention Lloyd Wood on Bass and the drumming of Ronnie Huxford. I was left wanting just a little more, when played live it all works and believe me the live show is a non-stop, guitar chugging, exhilarating experience. The need for a change of pace on the release from the overall sound would have been a welcome addition and may have been where the alternate version of ‘Blink of An Eye’ would have gone some way to diversifying proceedings.

Now not being a ‘fanboy’ I did not wish to come at this without a certain level of constructive critique. Overall, I would have liked to hear a broader sound in the approach to the overall musical direction of the tracks and whether you view this as NWOCR/Hard Rock/Metal/Post Grunge or whatever label you want to slap on it, that little extra edge of an alternative track you were not expecting could have taken this release to another level for me. However, with all that said, it is abundantly clear that these guys are destined for bigger things and the headline shows are there for the taking and with future dates set with Earache labelmates Massive Wagons their fanbase will only get bigger from here on in.

RD