THE NEW ROSES – One More For The Road (2017)
Germans THE NEW ROSES released a very good debut album some time ago, quite criminally ignored if you ask me. Well, that’s about to change with ‘One More For The Road‘, their new CD to be released tomorrow world-wide.
With “One More For The Road”, this gaggle of young musicians have released a joyous collection of ’80s styled hard rock without actually being in thrall to any one band. Instead, what we get is a generous dose of the Scorpions here, a wee splash of early Def Leppard there, a dollop of Aerosmith and even a wee hint of the likes of Guns N’ Roses.
The result? A feast of authentic rocky goodness.
Right from the start, The New Roses show what they got as the crisp riff of “Quarter To Twelve” kicks in and once these vibrant melodies sink their hooks into your head, you’ll be humming this tune for weeks (nay, months) to come.
Around halfway through the album, The New Roses singer Timmy Rough hits the nail as squarely on the head as anyone ever has: “Life Ain’t Easy (For A Boy With Long Hair)” performs two tasks.
First it is basically what amounts to ‘Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night’ rebooted, second it is surely destined to be TNR’s anthem, but there is another, more specific reason for mentioning it here.
It’s third verse is this: “years went by / fashions went then came / everybody changed but I stayed the same / now you try and dress up like a rock n roll star / but you don’t look cool / you won’t get far / what you’re looking for / you can’t just buy and wear / cos life ain’t easy for a boy with long hair”
Subtext: f@ck you nu-metal, and you too, grunge, and every other fad you care to name.
No, it’s quite simple. The New Roses love true rock ‘n roll and they are gonna play it thanks.
Oh and they do it brilliantly.
“My Own Worst Enemy” has the stomp of a filthy bar about it too, “Forever Never Comes” swaggers like Aerosmith did on Pump and is the sound of the last gang in town, that said it is simply overrun by “Dancing On A Razorblade”. There is a very real possibility that it is the finest hard rock song since Black Star Riders released Bound For Glory – quite honestly such is the glee here that for all the shite that happens every day, the world cannot be a bad place.
TNR are not afraid to get down and dirty if the need arises either. “Consider Me Gone” is the kind of break up the album need, and its set to funky blues too, for extra fun.
And let’s be absolutely clear, there are very few bands who can write hooks like this. “Every Wild Heart” is proof – not that you’ll realise until its burrowed its way into your conscience and set up home.
There’s the obligatory ballad too. “Fight You Leaving Me” is absolutely unashamed and if it was 1989 then TNR would be number one in 15 countries and on every teenage girls wall, but it isn’t a nostalgia trip and it isn’t some dated spandex clad bunch of nonsense, rather this is a perfect snapshot of where hard rock should be in 2017.
“The Same Moon” is hot, intense, then appropriately for a record called One More For The Road “Piece By Peace Of Mind” heads off for the fast lane, while the title track itself rocks with melody and that classy ’80s vibe.
The great thing about “One More For The Road” is that it’s full of songs just as good!
Even the 3 bonus tracks are of a high quality, with special praise going to the balladic “The Storm” which has vocalist Timmy Rough delivering his lines in an indeed ‘rough’ but earnest style, reminiscent of Joe Elliott at times.
“One More For The Road” is a true long player. With ten songs and three bonus tracks, the recording clocks in at nearly an hour. It may be a bit much, overkill even, but The New Roses does it efficiently with most songs around three and a half minutes in length.
Put simply, The New Roses are perfect for anyone who fancies a wee trip back to the glory days of the ’80s. This band rocks, and deliver some mighty fine hard melodic rock here.
Highly Recommended
01. Quarter To Twelve
02. My Own Worst Enemy
03. Forever Never Comes
04. Dancing On A Razor Blade
05. Consider Me Gone
06. Life Ain’t Easy (For A Boy With Long Hair)
07. Every Wild Heart
08. Fight You Leaving Me
09. The Same Moon
10. Piece By Peace Of Mind
11. One More For The Road
12. Do I Look Scared To You (Bonus Track)
13. The Storm (Bonus Track)
14. Nitro Nights (Bonus Track)
Timmy Rough – vocals / guitars
Norman Bites – guitars
Hardy – bass
Urban Berz – drums
Pre Order:
www.amazon.de/One-More-Road-New-Roses/dp/B071G991T1
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