ABLAZE – No Chaser (2018)

Melbourne’s ABLAZE have come out all guns blazing with their full length debut album, and as the title suggests “No Chaser” is required as this is 12 solid shots of Rock N Roll that will kick your ass.
Formed in 2010 as a bunch of mates fresh out of high school who had a love of classic hard rock, Ablaze have certainly cut their teeth and worked hard to perfect their craft.

With a couple of lineup changes over the course of the band’s history, they have settled with a lineup that, according to rave reports from Down Under, seems to work incredibly well together live, and “No Chaser” confirms their songwriting and execution chops are world class.
In early 2018 Ablaze headed into the studio to begin laying down this 12 track debut album, with master producer and engineer Ricki Rae. Blood, sweat and tears clearly went into every recording.

What is most impressive with “No Chaser” is that it shows how well these young guys understand how to write and execute a great ckassy hard song. Together, the band forms the five fingers that make the fist and the hit so hard.
The killer opening riff of ‘Back for More’ sets the tone for a feel-good sing-along anthem. As the opening line says “Get in, Sit Down, Shut Up, Hang on tight”. Yep, I wanna be a part of this ride. The gang vocals in the chorus just add more cool facyor to the ride. Ben Anderson‘s solo is blistering, technical and so much fun.

‘Dirty Little Secret’ will gave you humming it all day. ‘Kings and Queens’ has a really cool groove driven riff. It shows off the soulful grit of Danny Slaverio’s voice. The powerhouse riff leading into the chorus has a Euro flavor to it which works incredibly well. This track leads seamlessly straight into the album’s first single.
‘Just a Taste’ is the title, where the main riff and anthemic chorus make this the perfect lead single which claims for Rock Radio airplay.

Next up is ‘(We’re Gonna) Rock n’ Roll’, a song song with a ton of swagger, ‘Bad Tattoo’ is driven by a big main riff, tongue in cheek lyrics, huge gang style chorus, fun, fun, fun.
‘The Darkest Day (What I’ve Become)’ is the album’s only ballad, but what a blinder it is. Sultry, emotive and haunting vocals Danny’s delivery is amazing.

‘Long Way Home’ is a mid-tempo bluesy hard rocker. Danny pushes his vocal chops and delivers perfectly. The groove is strong and again if you can stop your foot from tapping during this song, you are a more restrained person than I am.
‘Twos Up’ is a balls out straightforward rocker that just induces a smile; add a twist of classic KISS and you have this. Crank it.
‘Where’s My Drink’ is a rocking twist on an Irish jig. Thin Lizzy come to mind with this track. It’s a fun little track about drinking that will no doubt be a centrepiece of the live show and crowd interactions.

‘Bottom of My Bottle‘ is my favorite vocal performance on the record hands down. Danny is passionate convicted and inspired with his vocal performance, here he has pushed himself. This song given commercial radio play would break this band in a big way. Think ‘Hole Hearted’ by Extreme done in true Aussie style.
‘Bar Fight Blues’ is so much fun and has all of the hallmark charm of David Lee Roth era Van Halen. This song could be the bastard child of ‘Ice Cream Man’. Love it.

“No Chaser” rocks with its huge riffs, loud guitars, ass-kicking drumming, earworm choruses, infectious feel-good grooves and solid musicianship.
As a debut full-length album, “No Chaser” sets the bar extremely high for these young Aussie dudes, and shows their intentions and ability to become the next band to proudly fly the classic hard rock flag in Australia.
This album is damn good. And rocks.
Highly Recommended

01 – Back for More
02 – Dirty Little Secret
03 – Kings & Queens
04 – Just a Taste
05 – (We’re Gonna) Rock ‘n’ Roll
06 – Bad Tattoo
07 – The Darkest Day (What I’ve Become)
08 – Long Way Home
09 – Two’s Up
10 – Where’s My Drink?
11 – Bottom of My Bottle
12 – Bar Fight Blues

Danny Slaviero – Lead Vocals
Matt Lentile – Bass/Vocals
Dan ‘Mango’ Mangano – Drums/Vocals
Ben Anderson – Lead Guitar/Vocals
Matt Dynon – Rhythm guitar/Vocals

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/No-Chaser-Explicit-Ablaze/dp/B07H9F3VTV
.