Victory or Die – ‘Welcome to the New Rock Revolution’
Reviewed by Gareth Griffiths • 27 March 2025
There were some “ooohs”, “ahhhs” and even more “ooohs” when award-winning Scottish singer-songwriter Jason Sweeney announced that he was taking a bit of time away from his successful solo career to… well… rock things up a bit! A “weel kent face” in the music industry for his work with the much-loved The King Lot before releasing two incredibly well-received solo albums, Sweeney’s stock was high. But there was an itch that he felt he hadn’t quite scratched properly… and that itch was a harder, heavier, sludgier rock sound. After all, that’s the music he grew up with.
Step forward Victory or Die, a project conceived following a trip to Los Angeles, visiting the Sunset Strip, Rainbow Bar and Grill, Whiskey a Go Go and other legendary venues that helped to make hard rock and metal what it was in its 1980s heyday. Inspired by the experience, Sweeney (on vocals and guitar duties) and longtime friend and bass player Brian Stewart headed back to a slightly drearier and less glitzy Scotland, recruiting guitarist Andy “Andypaws” Christie and hard-hitting drummer Carlos Marin along the way. Victory or Die was surely a no-brainer of a band name, considering it was the title of a Motorhead song. Let’s be honest… how much more rock n roll can you get than Motorhead?! The legendary Lemmy pretty much defined the genre!
With two hard rocking singles already under their bullet-studded belts, ‘I Lose Control’ and ‘Hang the DJ’, as well as some demo videos and live performances available on their popular YouTube channel, Victory or Die have hard rock and metal coursing through the blood in their veins with every pump of their denim and leather-clad hearts (this makes no sense… but you get the general image and vibe that I’m trying to put across!!). Their quest for rock n roll dominance continues with latest single, ‘Welcome to the New Rock Revolution’, due for release on Friday 28th March 2025, with the accompanying music video being premiered the night before.
A quick and powerful double trio of tubthumping by Marin and an almost punky guitar riff make way for Stewart’s riff-following prominent driving bass and sludgy sounding power chords, with Sweeney’s Scatman-rapid vocals sounding like a mix of Ginger Wildheart and Lemmy. Think golden-era Wildhearts with latter day Motorhead… but with extra oomph! “What are you looking for? What are you waiting for?” hollers Sweeney.
I’ll tell you what we’re waiting for; the chorus… and it’s got everything we’re looking for too! It’s a hard rocking, fun-filled, sing-along romp with shades of Green Day-style Cali-punk but with a much harder edge and a smattering of Jack Daniels-fuelled Sunset Strip attitude. If the chorus doesn’t have you bouncing around your living room, banging your head and playing air guitar whilst interfering with your elderly neighbour’s hearing aids, press play and start again with the volume even louder. If that doesn’t work, check your pulse and put on some Adele with a small glass of Advocaat, as your rock n roll days are clearly over!
A growl of “born to lose… live to win… victory or die”, a brutal but great sentiment, leads to Christie’s obligatory guitar solo (is it a real rock song without one?)… and what a scorcher it is! Think of an 80s/90s rock guitar hero, be it Slash, Paul Gilbert, Nuno Bettencourt or any other once long-haired six-string legend. Now think of their style and vibe and how it used to make you feel… and you’ll enjoy this solo immensely!
“Welcome to the new rock revolution” sings Sweeney, briefly unaccompanied, before the riff, drums, bass and that brilliant chorus brings the song to a close with a bang… and a gong! Yes… a gong! Brilliant stuff!
Victory or Die is a band on a mission to take you back in time to a golden era when loud and proud rock n roll ruled record stores and every musician headed to LA looking for their shot at fame and fortune. They doff their musical hats in a respectful nod to the greats of the genre, merging the best sounds of that special era with a weightier, more modern edge. This is the song that could take Victory or Die to the next level and if there’s any justice in the world of music, it might even start a revolution!
They are Victory or Die… and they play rock n roll. ‘Welcome to the New Rock Revolution’, indeed!!