Anyone familiar with the dry, shimmering, guitar driven heat of
AC/DC and The Angels will be familiar with Rhino Bucket.
An economic rock band, who can wring out the last few drops of sweat from a bone dry riff.
It's a blueprint avidly devoured and digested by new kids on the block, like Koritni and Airbourne.
But these old kids have been round that block many, many times, lost a few members, gained some new (including Simon Wright, ex of
AC/DC), and have clocked up a few zillion battle scarred miles en route.
You can hear it in the music. To be honest, you could always hear it.
But, it takes time to tune in. At first there's a mismatch between expectation and reality. Always the same with Rhino Bucket.
Then ex Kix axeman, Brian Forsythe's underdriven riffs - searingly spare and deliciously simple - begin to burn into your skin like a branding iron. Georg's Dolivo's gritty, gravely, cement mixer vocals gradually grab hold; a rock solid rhythm section tightens its vicelike grip, and the end result is a marvellously elemental hard rock record, visceral, understated and very satisfying.
It takes a lot of time and hard work to make it seem this easy.
The title track, '
The Hardest Town's raw minimalism and unrelenting beat is softened by a pleading vocal and gilded by a muscular melody.
Lyrically, nothing's really in your face. Simple words and basic sentiments are all that's needed, with the sexual tension talked up on
'Dog Don't Bite' and '
Take Me Down'.
For a moment, the band slip carefully (and pretty comfortably) into a more commercial mode with '
No One Here'. Done in the classic Oz rock style, with a carefully applied, if sparing lick of polish, giving it sparkle and shine.
Then it's right back into '
Street To Street', where they squeeze a great song out of clanging guitars, a chopped up riff and an urgent, gargled chorus.
Yes, same old same old.
But that's the way we like it.
Written by
Brian Thursday, June 18, 2009
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