DERAPS – Viva Rock N’ Roll (2025) *HQ*
Almost three years ago Canadian based power trio DERAPS, hailing from Quebec (although drummer Josh Gallagher is Australian and lives in Perth) pleased us with their debut LP. Deraps was formed around singer/guitarist Jacob Deraps and had in William Lachance their bass player. Their self-produced record showed us a band that lives and breathes Van Halen in the line-up of Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth. Jacob and Josh met through their love for this iconic band.
The first album, simple called ‘Deraps’ was a sort of a tribute to the vintage Van Halen sound and style. Although the originality was lacking a bit, the playing and especially the guitar acrobatics of Jacob were very impressive. A strong debut, it only lacked a bit of a finishing touch on the production side, due to (most likely) having a small recording budget.
On their second album Deraps has made a significant progress. Recorded only by Josh and Jacob (who also provided the strong bass lines) it is not that their love for Van Halen has just vanished. Far from. ‘Viva Rock N’ Roll’ continues in the same old high energy classic rock style. The main progress has been booked on the production side.
The album kicks harder, has more punch, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and especially the first half of the record contains high energy hard rock and roll with blistering guitar work and a certain attitude that does make you think of Van Halen in the period 1978-1984. The typical elements and the open song constructions plus the layered choruses bring back fond memories.
Why should these boys not pay tribute in their own way? With the passing of Eddie Van Halen, it is evident that the Van Halen-era has come to an end. So, there is room for a relative, new, and young group to fill in the gap.
Not that I am saying the Deraps will ever grow to the heights that Van Halen reached but it is good that the spirit of the Van Halen brothers is not only continued by Wolfgang Van Halen with his Mammoth project, but also by two talented lads from Canada and Australia.
The first part of ‘Viva Rock N’ Roll’ is very vintage classic rock with the album-title track as most impressive song. Also, the short instrumental ‘Equinox’ plus ‘Solitaire’ (listen to the riff and the choirs) are top-notch.
‘Animal Eyes’ is very tasteful with the exotic drum intro and juicy bass line, it’s got an infectious hook, and the guitar riff is chef’s kiss. ‘Last Fall’ is where the band drops melodic hard rock at its best. It’s got a warm, Autumn vibe, which fits perfectly with the song title, and the backing vocals are icing on the cake.
Another very good rocker is the closing track, “Black Sheep Boogie,” and they boogie hard indeed. It’s a lot of fun, and the lyrics are clever. Some fun songs are terrible, but when the songwriting is there, fun songs can be real bangers. Just ask AC/DC!
As the album progresses Deraps varies the sound a bit looking vor variation with tracks such as ‘Setting Sun’ (nice acoustic intro) and ‘Blindside’. As stated earlier, the production has improved, and the vocals have won a lot of ground (with ‘Blindside’ as most prominent example).
‘Viva Rock N’ Roll’ is an album that put a big smile to your face. It’s fun, as rock n’ roll should be.
Deraps is a band that does not hide their big inspiration but they also try to widen their musical horizons on this new album. It will be interesting to see how these lads will musically develop themselves in the coming years.
Fans who are longing for that old fashioned classic rock that Van Halen use to bring, should check this band out. They will get their fill and then some more. Cool album!
01 – Viva Rock N’ Roll
02 – Animal Eyes
03 – The Legend of Larrikin Laddie
04 – Equinox
05 – Last Fall
06 – Solitaire
07 – Setting Sun
08 – Born To Die
09 – Blindside
10 – The Dawg Stomp
11 – Black Sheep Boogie
Jacob Deraps – guitars, lead vocals, and bass guitar
Josh Gallagher – drums and backing vocals
Pre order:
roughtrade.com/product/deraps/viva-rock-n-roll
Heck Yes!!!! Thnx 0Day!!!