EVERYDAY HEROES – A Tale Of Sin And Sorrow (2020)

When you hear the full size debut album of the four piece outfit EVERYDAY HEROES it is hard to imagine that these lads are hailing from Newport, South Wales in the United Kingdom. Their eleven songs album ‘A Tale Of Sin & Sorrow’ sounds more like these boys are coming out of the USA as their music is a dynamic combination between southern rock, heavy blues and melodic hard rock, in a style where the dynamics and the grit that just glows of the album is not alone catchy but at moments also mesmerizing.

Guitarist/singer Luke Phillips, drummer Jay Haines, rhythm guitarist Daniel Richards and latest recruit Lewis Watkins on bass have been around a little while already releasing two EP’s but this is without a doubt a statement that they are making.
Phillips is the central figure with his expressive singing and his blistering guitar solos, aggressive, strong but at times also melodic and even sensitive. And that also goes for the other musicians who also stand their musical ground.

The musical journey of Everyday Heroes is eventful with songs that are heavy, crispy, with plenty of energy and grittiness. Only a few times the band takes the foot of the gas pedal but at these moments during the songs ‘The Crow’ and the album closer ‘Without A Throne’, these guys really show some extra class as well.

Opening with ‘Texas Red’, the Southern Rock influences are obvious, a stomping track with plenty of guitars and a thumping drum to draw you in, but with a catchy beat and Phillips giving us the first example of that gritty vocal.
I’m hooked and we are soon into the foot tapping intro of ‘Find My Way’ which drives on for in excess of three and a half minutes of bliss, by which time, I’m air drumming, totally lost in the moment.

‘Standing Stones’ is the first single off the album and it’s easy to see why with it’s driving rhythm and heavy guitar sound which deserves a fair amount of radio play.
‘The Witch’s King’ follows and is an out and out rock track with a thumping beat and Phillips showing us what he’s got in the locker, when he breaks into a short but searing guitar solo, but make no mistake this is a band effort with Haines, Richards and Watkins all providing the solid foundation on which the track is built.
The pace is slowed a little, but none of the intensity is lost for ‘Soul To Save’ as the track explores the strange martyrs we create and how the journeys made in past lives can inform our own. Yet again though, on a basic level, this is foot tapping head banging, rock of the highest standard and these boys are delivering by the bucketload.

A bluesy guitar riff leads us into ‘Victorious (Take My Chains)’ which along with ‘All Outta Faith’ continues that hard rocking theme, with big guitars and a driving rhythm section. There is no doubting that here is a band that knows how to rock and for a band in what could be considered its formative years, Everyday Heroes are showing with this album, not just how mature their song writing is, but also how well they can construct a song.

Which brings us nicely to ‘The Crow’ which shows just how good they are, as it starts off with a gentle acoustic guitar, meeting Philliips quiet vocals before rising to allow the full band to drive the track forward, before dropping back to a gentle finale. There is more than a whiff of Stone Broken here, even in the vocal, but that doesn’t take away for the fact that this is a superbly crafted track and one which we could be hearing for years to come.

‘Breathe Again’ cranks up the volume, as once again we are back in hard rock territory and this time, Haines is in great form thumping the tubs, with Phillips contributing some great riffs and that strong vocal once more.
‘West Of Forever’ takes us towards the big finish with another rocking number which starts out with guitars and drums and rarely let’s up. The album is bought to a close by the superb ‘Without A Throne’ which is both moody and menacing and brings together everything that is good about Everyday Heroes – strong vocals, great guitar work and a driving rhythm section.

I really liked ‘A Tale Of Sin And Sorrow’ and know that I will be playing this a lot over the coming weeks and in looking for specific high points to mention, I realized that actually, there just aren’t any low points.
‘A Tale Of Sin & Sorrow’ is the album we all need to get us through these difficult days of self-isolation and this barnstorming debut is sure to put these boys on the road to super stardom.
Highly Recommended

 

01 – Texas Red
02 – Find My Way
03 – Standing Stones
04 – The Witch’s King
05 – Soul to Save
06 – Victorious (Take My Chains)
07 – All Outta Faith
08 – The Crow
09 – Breathe Again
10 – West of Forever
11 – Without a Throne

Luke Phillips Vocals & Lead Giutar
Jay Haines Drums, Percussion & Backing Vocals
Daniel Richards Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocals
Lewis Watkins Bass & Backing Vocals

 

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