TRISHULA – 'WE ALL FALL DOWN'

Now, the players…

The rhythm section brotherhood is carried out by the pocket sitting duo of Dan Clark (bass) and Neil Ogden (drums) who lay the rock solid foundations for Rick Benton (all things keys) to playfully weave his magic over. That leaves us with a guitarist and a singer. The last time I saw Messrs Fraser and Morgan together was in a small club in Dumfries circa 2014 when they were part of the epic ‘Rage of Angels’ and despite the fact the crowd was sparse they played it like it was Wembley. That’s the measure of these men, talented and passionate in equal measure and this album is really the very best of them. Fraser plays with his usual mix of elegant tastefulness and ferocious shred whilst Morgan shows yet again why he was brought in to cover the live vocal duties of an album that included melodic royalty like Harry Hess and Danny Vaughn.

Now for the review. I promised myself I was going to mix things up and not do a song-by-song review but such is the quality of this album you’ll need to forgive another track by track or more accurately hit by hit review.

Opener ‘I’m Not Falling’ is straight out of the ‘Rage of Angels’ playbook and as such it’s absolutely glorious. Opening with a haunting Eagles-Last Resort kinda piano line before it explodes into a lush melodic rocker of a track. The two part solo showcases Fraser at his very finest.

‘Caught in the Middle’ starts as a piano led ballad before building to a lush slice of mid-tempo melodic loveliness. The layered harmonies are gorgeous and are most definitely a theme that runs throughout the entire album.

Third up we have ‘Nice and Dirty’ which you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’re listening to Cinderella on the opening bars before it opens up into a playful rocker. Super catchy melody and boy do these gents know how to write a hook!

‘Why Should I Apologise’ is next and again we’re in super catchy hook and melody-ville. It’s also the first time yet not the last time I get serious ELO vibes, I tend to dislike synthesised strings as a rule of thumb, but such is the build of the song they fit perfectly here. The elongated phrasing of the chorus is just perfect.

Track five and we’re off and running with ‘Watch the Giant Fall’. Proper chunky rocker is this boy, the line from the keys floats effortlessly above the main riff and carries the song along beautifully. If you’re a bit of a melodic geek, then you’ll get serious Pride vibes from this one. Song of the album so far for me.

‘God Bless America’ closes the first half of the album and much like opener ‘I’m Not Falling’ I hear a lot of ‘Angel’ influence on this one. The mid song breakdown with piano, acoustic and synthesised strings is sublime and acts as the perfect foil for the heavier pre and post sound.

Starting the second half of the album is ‘Don’t Stop this Roundabout’ and we’re back in the safe arms of hook and melody. The mix on this is ripper, different instruments drift forwards and backwards in the sound and showcase the ear of the production team. The piano line in particular is subtle yet superbly placed.

‘Purity’ chugs out of the gate with a Dokken esque riff before drummer Neil Ogden shines in a belter of a rocker. Again, it’s worth pointing out the mix and production shames major labels, this sounds huge through the headphones.

Time for a ballad and what a ballad this is! Remember the ELO vibe from earlier? Mix it with classic Enuff Z Nuff and you have the truly special ‘Two Umbrellas’. This is all about the voice of Jason Morgan and his ability to not just sing but deliver the lyrics with truth, with feeling and with the hurt of real-life experiences.

Three songs to go and we’re on the slow build with ‘It Doesn’t Matter’. Serious vocal pyrotechnics from Jason Morgan and a subtle weaving piano line leads us into another absolutely stunning Neil Fraser solo. Quality tune!

‘Don’t Walk Away’ is the penultimate track and what a song this is. One hundred percent zero impurity twenty-four karat AOR gold, honestly it encapsulates everything I love about ‘that’ sound. I’ve thrown a lot of band name references at this review, but I’ll give you one more…If Journey released this song it would be on every rock radio station the internet has to offer. The chorus alone will be in your head for days. Song of the album, straight into the song of the year category and all from five guys most of you will never have heard of!

How do you follow ‘Don’t Walk Away’? You rip straight into an album closing rocker by the name of ‘Never Gonna Stop’. Three and a half minutes of foot stomping, fist pumping, melodic hard rocking, descending crescendo guitar virtuoso magnificence.

Twelve songs, five stellar musicians, song of the year contender and more hooks than a Peter Pan convention.

Now go buy the damn thing, if you hit the band up on Facebook you can even go old school like me and get a physical product that will put more coin into the pot for more of the same.

Much Love

Ross Macdonald