Best Classic Rock album 2017 #1 : BLACK STAR RIDERS – Heavy Fire [LTD. Embossed Digibook CD +1] (2017)

End of the year / beginning of 2018, it’s time to recap about the best 2017 releases, by category.
“Heavy Fire” is BLACK STAR RIDERS album number three, and Black Star Riders are finally emerging from the long shadow of Thin Lizzy. With the band now pulling away from the Phil Lynott legacy, this third album is their best to date.

“Heavy Fire” is the long-awaited third studio album by BLACK STAR RIDERS, this Limited Embossed Digibook version including a bonus track.
Created in 2012 by members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy, the band delivered widely acclaimed music in their first two records ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’ and ‘The Killer Instinct’ which established Black Star Riders as one of the finest present-day rock ‘n’ roll bands.

One of the most outstanding elements on the album is the well-planned sequencing of the songs which render it a wonderful musical odyssey.
The title track ‘Heavy Fire’ jumps out of the speakers from the very first second you hit the play button. It punches the air out of you as it declares there is no room for complacent listening here. Crank it up and succumb!
A mid-tempo yet power-packed track which does justice to the signature Black Star Riders sound – crisp and raw.

This essence is carried into ‘When the Night Comes In’ which is one of the catchier songs on the album with awe-inspiring vocals, cool lyrics and an infectious chorus. The song shows the new approach the band adopts while still upholding its heritage in spirit.
Remarkable musical ingenuity is showcased in ‘Dancing with the Wrong Girl’ which has a heavy classic spirit while ‘Who Rides the Tiger’ delivers a monster groove.
There’s been no compromising with the band’s distinct quality and the record upholds the appeal of heavy rock through and through as evident in the compact and powerful rocker ‘Ticket to Rise’ also featuring soulful backing vocals.

There is a nice shift in thought process from the laid back ‘Cold War Love’ to the heavier ‘Testify or Say Goodbye’ which is one of the finest songs on the album. The latter bears the magnificence of classic rock in elements like its traditionally composed chorus.
‘Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed’ starts with an epic bass line and is rhythm-wise wonderful. ‘True Blue Kid’ further demonstrates versatility within the magnitude of heavy rock while ‘Letting Go of Me’ provides a perfect finish to the album by leaving a hard-hitting impact.

This Limited Edition includes the atmospheric ‘Fade’, another great piece of finest melodic hard rock with a feel that brings to mind guitarist Gorham days with 21 Guns.

In a nutshell, the album showcases a good deal of diversity laced around the essence of heavy rock. It is a wonderful sequential demonstration of a fresh musical approach as well as the good-old legacy of Black Star Riders.
Just like Lizzy of old, Black Star Riders rely heavily on the glorious power of their twin guitar attack, but play with a greater sense of sustained urgency than their former incarnation tended to do.
As a result they have produced an album that is certain to prove fervently popular when they hit the stage this year – every song is designed to get you out of your seat and have you leaping around in an ecstatic rock and roll reverie.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – Heavy Fire
02 – When The Night Comes In
03 – Dancing With The Wrong Girl
04 – Who Rides The Tiger
05 – Cold War Love
06 – Testify Or Say Goodbye
07 – Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed
08 – True Blue Kid
09 – Ticket To Rise
10 – Letting Go Of Me
11 – Fade (Bonus Track)

Ricky Warwick – vocals
Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson – guitars
Robbie Crane – bass
Jimmy DeGrasso – drums

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MYMZ9D9
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