Twisted Wheel
Satisfying The Ritual

They were the great love of Oasis and Paul Weller.

Not bad for a band like Twisted Wheel, which back in April 2009 released a fantastic debut on Columbia produced by Dave Sardy (which led them to open for the Gallagher brothers themselves, Kasabian, The View, and The Enemy), only to flounder on the shallows of a second album that didn't live up to expectations. This all led to a premature breakup and the leader Jonny Brown's drug addiction.

We arrive in 2018: new band and new intentions. Jonny rebuilds the group, relies on three brand new musicians, and with a completely renewed lineup releases the excellent EP “Jonny Guitar”, the first step towards this “Satisfying The Ritual”, the third studio album for the British band.

Completely self-produced, this new work is as good as one could have hoped from Brown's pen, who shows he hasn't lost an ounce of his talent over all these years; the eleven tracks flow beautifully, the guitars are bold and spirited and sound damn good, especially considering the release is completely self-produced.

It opens with the garage of the single “Nomad Hat”, continuing on a quintessentially Twisted Wheel path, which deviates only on a few occasions: in the pure britpop of “Rebel”, a reinterpretation of a track already present in the previous EP and already beloved by fans, in the grandeur of “Wrong Side Of The Road”, in the irresistible crescendo of “D.N.A.” and in the Oasis-like sound of “Black And Blue”. The peak is reached with the wonderful title track, between trip hop and early Verve, which opens an interesting glimpse into a hypothetical future for the four.

For the rest, the violent and dry sound of the British band is well present, especially in “Wheels Of Love”, reminiscent of certain things by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and “I Am Imune”.

A comeback with a bang for “Twisted Wheel”. We shall see if from now on the band can truly hold it together.

Best track: Satisfying The Ritual