THE DEVIL IN CALIFORNIA – Longer Ride Down (2015)
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A new rocking quintet is making some noise around L.A. : THE DEVIL IN CALIFORNIA, with their debut album “Longer Ride Down“. The record is the culmination of two years of hard work by 5 seasoned Bay Area musicians whom have been in different bands for the last twenty years.
Where else would the Devil be, really? California is paradise, and a black hole of evil and vice too, all mixed into one, and The Devil In California seems to understand that.
Their music is a combination of hard hitting, hooky, occasionally bluesy, and always kickin’ hard rock, with a classic southern-fried touch, a biker look, and lots of attitude. You know exactly what you’re going to get when you first see a pic these guys: uncompromised rock n’roll.
They’ve been playing shows for about a year now, as headliners in the California club circuit or supporting the likes of Skid Row, Black Star Riders or Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel… they must have ‘something’, eh?
And indeed The Devil In California rocks. “Longer Ride Down” rocks.
Judging how hot and energetic they sound on this recording, they should be a storm on stage. In the short time they have been together, these guys fronted by the classy vocals of Anthony Malson seems to have carefully crafted their fledgling music into a tight, hard, and heavy rock band.
The songs are strongly riff-driven, yet catchy and accessible as “Black Hand”, “Personal Voodoo”, the midtempo “Longer Ride Down” or the instant rocker “Gravel Road”.
On some tracks, for instance, “Delta Sludge”, although pretty bluesy infused, The Devil in California add a touch of modernity. “Numb from the Fall” is groovy and heavy, while “Sell Me a Reason” has some Red Dragon Cartel on it.
“Middle Man” aims for a more Classic Rock sound (American) as happens with the gentle, southern painted “YCMMHMB”, then the broken “Just in Case” is not far from the recent Skid Row. The band does a nice cover of Mountain’s classic “Mississippi Queen”, with the guitar sound fixed a bit to a vintage output.
“Longer Ride Down” is a solid presentation card by The Devil In California, a band looking for the classic rocking sounds that seem to have lost all the new acts coming from America.
The band compose really cool songs, they are very good players and the record is finely produced & mixed, so I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more from this Bay Area five-piece.
Very Recommended.
01 – Black Hand
02 – Delta Sludge
03 – Sell Me a Reason
04 – Numb from the Fall
05 – Personal Voodoo
06 – Longer Ride Down
07 – Empty Rooms
08 – Sweeet
09 – Gravel Road
10 – Middle Man
11 – Just in Case
12 – Mississippi Queen
13 – YCMMHMB
14 – P.S.A. (Oh Yeah)
Anthony Malson – Vox
Jamie Cronander – Guitar
Snake – Guitar
Matt Stewart – Bass
Eddie Colmenares – Drums
BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Longer-Ride-Explicit-Devil-California/dp/B00TQTC9IC
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