DIRTY HONEY – Dirty Honey [self-released] (2019)

If you haven’t heard the name DIRTY HONEY, you soon will be hearing it frequently. This up and coming rock quartet is on the rise and are already topping charts. They’ve officially become the first unsigned band to land a number one song on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
This young L.A. band are for rock and roll fans who favor classic bluesy hard rock grooves, gritty guitar riffs and raspy vocals. While influenced by Led Zeppelin, Dirty Honey has their own distinctive sound. Vocalist Marc Labelle has been compared to the likes of Steven Tyler and Axl Rose, but definitely brings his own unique style to the table.

The song “When I’m Gone” is currently No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock Songs list, making them the first unsigned band to ever top the chart, and has been spent 21 weeks on it so far.
This is not only an incredible achievement for an indie band, but also for this brand of classic sounding Seventies / Eighties type of Hard Rock.

Dirty Honey aren’t signed, yet, but they’re certainly stirring up a storm for themselves. “When I’m Gone” was also featured as the theme song for the 2019 WWE Extreme Rules special.
The group have caught the attention of several larger names, having opened for Slash, The Who, Alter Bridge and Skillet, and will support Guns N’ Roses in Las Vegas for two nights at the beginning of November, as part of their Not In This Lifetime tour.

For some, Dirty Honey have risen to prominence at lightning speed, but to many they’re still very much an unknown quantity with a handful of songs to their name. Little over a year ago, the LA four piece released their debut single, ‘Fire Away’, catapulting them into the eyes and ears of music’s elite, and opening doors that they could never have imagined.
The first of these doors led to a tour with Slash and Myles Kennedy, the second, the opportunity to work with iconic producer Nick DiDia for this self-titled debut album.

DiDia, whose CV speaks for itself, has amassed over $40million in sales since the early 90s, working artists such as Springsteen, Alice Cooper, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.
With such an impressive body of work behind him, it comes as no surprised that Dirty Honey’s eponymous release is filled with big hooks, arena worthy choruses and a polished approach that many can only dream of.

Opening with the smash hit ‘When I’m Gone’, the waste no time rocking hard, as Labelle’s brilliantly versatile vocals come screaming out of the speakers in a track that is served dripping with all the venom of Guns ‘N’ Roses You Could Be Mine. John Notto’s searing guitar solo show that rock and roll is alive and well!

Like the opening track, ‘Rolling 7s’ sees Dirty Honey give another nod to their heroes, with the ‘when you need a little lovin’’ chorus screaming of Aerosmith’s Love In The Elevator, in the best possible way.
But, there is no sense that the Californians are out to copy anyone, instead a genuine sense of that they’re here to carry the torch of hard rock and give the genre a much needed kick up the arse, with their classic influences brought forward in a fresh, modern way.

While these numbers are truly exhilarating, it is ‘Down The Road’ and ‘Scars’ where the record gets really interesting, with the band getting down and dirty with heavy blues riffs, and Labelle’s unique ability to get you hooked.
Behind him, Notto is suitably brilliant, with the band’s rhythm section (Justin Smolian and Corey Coverstone) guiding the pair with watertight performances.

For years, the term ‘saviors of rock and roll’ has been handed out too easily, with very few in recent years, barring Rival Sons, getting anywhere close.
But, with the backing Dirty Honey have from established stars and iconic producers, a major label is sure to come calling soon. If that happens, the potential of this band is infinite.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – When I’m Gone
02 – Rolling 7s
03 – Heartbreaker
04 – Down the Road
05 – Scars
06 – Break You
07 – Fire Away (Bonus Track)

Marc Labelle – vocals
John Notto – guitars, backing vocals
Justin Smolian – bass
Corey Coverstone – drums

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