In recent years, many bands have come to the forefront by reviving old-school rock. These bands may not be the most original, but they are led by charismatic figures and deliver a powerful and exhilarating sound, which finds its best expression live. There are many examples: from Airbourne, who echo Ac/Dc's hard rock, to the Zeppelin-like The Answer, and then on to Parlor Mob and Wolfmother.
The American band Stonerider, a trio composed of Matt Tanner (vocals, guitar), Neil Warren (bass), and Jason Krutzky (drums), definitely belongs to this trend and in 2008 they made their debut album with "Three Legs Of Trouble". A piercing guitar solo preludes a sound onslaught of pure hard rock, with amplifiers at full blast and a truly powerful rhythm section: Rush Hour Baby and Back From The Deaf kick off the party. Listening to Stonerider, you can imagine them in a battered van, slightly tipsy with cigarettes dangling from their mouths as they drive down some deserted and sunny road, trying to reach the next venue to set on fire. Undoubtedly, the middle section represents the best part of the album. Ramble Down, Juice Man, Wild Child, and Bad Lovin (Never Felt So Good) follow one after the other without pause and highlight the band's top qualities: the riffs are powerful, rich with blues undertones, the unleashed solos make the guitar strings scream, and the choruses are all very catchy.
The sound, while strongly reminiscent of many historic bands from the '70s (to attest to this, the album includes a cover of Nazareth, with the bluesy Hair Of The Dog tribute), is nevertheless accompanied by a modern and very meticulous production. The group is led by the personality of frontman Matt Tanner, who delivers an excellent vocal performance, at times reminiscent of Axl Rose's or Steven Tyler's raspy voice. The following tracks, Bite My Tongue, Breakout, and Shut My Mouth, keep the tracklist at high levels, re-proposing hard rock played throughout the entire album, ending with the blues-infused ballad Long Way To Monterey, a song that stands out the most from the others and concludes with a long and wrenching solo. Three Legs Of Trouble is not a groundbreaking album: the songs have a simple structure (verse, chorus, solo), which repeats throughout the album, and heavily bear the influences of the band. But Stonerider, though not very original, know how to play good and energetic rock'n'roll and showcase qualities that surely bode well for the future (the band is currently working on their second LP).
If you believe that music (and rock, in this case), to be truly good, must always be innovative and constantly evolving, then you might wrinkle your nose listening to "Three Legs Of Trouble". But if you are die-hard, almost nostalgic, fans of '70s hard rock and you get excited by a good guitar riff or a blistering solo, then this is the album for you.
As someone once said: "it's only rock'n'roll, but I like it".
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