BURNT OUT WRECK (Heavy Pettin’) – This Is Hell (2019)

“This Is Hell” is the new album by BURNT OUT WRECK, the band founded by multi-faceted Gary Moat who previously played drums and was the main songwriter for Scottish cult hard rockers Heavy Pettin’ through the Eighties.
When Heavy Pettin’ folded in ’91, Moat moved up front to play rhythm guitar and sing lead vocals with Mother’s Ruin for the best part of the next quarter of a century. Then in 2014 he shut down that band to concentrate on songwriting but the man needed to express himself performing, and Burnt Out Wreck born.
As you would expect, “This Is Hell” is pure classic hard rock with a strong ’80s feeling, riff-driven songs with a lot of swagger.

Gary Moat is a massive Bon Scott fan in the vocal style, and many would make reference to AC-DC on the music offered here, but to me Burnt Out Wreck are a whole different ball game. Sure, it’s guitar / riff driven hard rock with a bluesy foundation, but that’s the genre’s core.
“This Is Hell” packs just the right mix of aggression, tongue in cheek naughtiness and tonnes of good old fashioned rock and roll impossible to not like.

Opener ‘Dead Or Alive‘ and is a huge, riff riddled, classic good time rock ‘n’ roll tune that’s guaranteed to get you shaking off the dust and head banging in serious fashion. A cracking track and an absolutely blitzing way for Burnt Out Wreck to start the LP.
One of my favorites is “Paddywhack” – a definite case of nudge-nudge, wink-wink going on with the lyrical content that put a smile on your face. Top song with hints of a Status Quo shuffle in some of the guitar style.

‘Headfuck’ is all about a woman making a guy’s life difficult and Moat catches that frustration perfectly as he screams down the microphone and Adrian Dunn matches it with the growl of the lead guitar and the pace doesn’t let up as they then dive head first into ‘Guitars Electrified’ which continues in the same vein, beating you around the head with the sound of a band in a hurry – they want you to get to the end of the album so they can start on you from the beginning once again.

Title track ‘This Is Hell’ is heavier with loud grinding guitars, solid drums and Moat’s voice which screams at you from the speakers. I’ve heard so many bands with a great sound only for the lead singer to come in and destroy my hopes, but with Moat up front and central, I want to hear more of the same.
Almost without missing a beat we move into the home straight with ‘Rock Hard Sticky Sweet’ which is another chunk of hard rock that has you shaking your head before ‘Just A Dog’ comes with its bluesy
undertones.
We arrive to closing track ‘Snow Falls Down’ and Burnt Out Wreck keep it rockin’ right until the final bars, by which point you could be forgiven for feeling a little punch drunk, as this album is relentless.

Make no mistake, there have been a lot of good releases this year in this musical vein, but speaking of old-fashioned classic rock / hard rock ‘This Is Hell’ is up with the very best of them.
The album has that ‘vintage feel’ all over, recorded in 11 days start to finish and with Moat taking the producer’s credit as well, and clearly you get the feeling he knew exactly what he wanted and absolutely nailed it.
A good album? It’s an absolute belter and worthy of a place in every fan of quality classic hard rock’s collection.

 

01 – Dead Or Alive
02 – Positive
03 – Paddywack
04 – Headfuck
05 – Guitars Electrified
06 – This Is Hell
07 – Rock Hard Sticky Sweet
08 – Just A Dog
09 – Snow Falls Down

Gary Moat – Lead Vocals
Alex Carmichael – Bass
Paul Gray – Drums
Adrian Dunn – Lead Guitar, backing vocals
Miles Goodman – Rhythm Guitar, backing vocals

 

BUY IT
www.amazon.co.uk/This-Hell-Burnt-Out-Wreck/dp/B07WHMQ2X1