THE TREATMENT – Waiting For Good Luck (2021)
”Waiting For Good Luck” is the fifth full-length album from British hard rockers THE TREATMENT to be released tomorrow by Frontiers Music. Showcasing an intense sonic power only hinted at thus far, The Treatment is truly firing on all cylinders now.
A first listen will instantly reveal hulking riffs and memorable choruses and further listens reveal more and more as the listener delves into this love letter to hard rock. “Waiting for Good Luck” truly is a classic album in the making.
Produced by UK rock maestro Laurie Mansworth (Airrace) and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Black Country Communion, etc.), “Waiting for Good Luck” is The Treatment’s second album featuring Tom Rampton on vocals and the first one with the new bass player Andy Milburn.
Rampton’s raspy, whisky-soaked vocal style suits the band’s driving, hard rock style perfectly and the results of him having toured with and gelled further with the band can really be heard distinctly here.
The new album was written differently to past material – with the band locked together in a ‘bubble’ it was recorded pretty much as live as possible and the new approach has paid great dividends.
So if you’re a fan of big riffs and big choruses you’ll love this one, and it sounds great too, very well produced by Mansworth.
The old school Hard Rocking opener ‘Rat Race’ harnesses the grit of AC/DC and the harmonies of early Def Leppard; well hot on the heels of that comes the even more melodic classic rocker ‘Take It Or Leave It’ and the Aerosmith groove of ‘Lightning In A Bottle’.
It’s a great way to start and album – three tracks in this is already shaping up to be a helluva rock and roll party!
If you thought that was good it’s the pair that comes next that I love most here – first the adrenaline-fueled night stalker ditty ‘Vampress’ which rocks out with the best of them before the bluesy swing of ‘Eyes On You’ they’re as good a pair of songs as any these guys have put out to date – and that’s big praise.
‘No Way Home’ adds almost a vintage Quo vibe, its a great mid tempo boogie that really sets off Rampton’s vocals whilst ‘Devil In The Detail’ brings some fire and one of the best choruses here to the table as well as a little touch of 80s Alice Cooper.
‘Tough Kid’ ups those wonderful melodies again and adds a twist of smoky blues. Honestly you’ll love this – these guys have produced some great stuff in the past but they’ve never sounded consistently this good.
The final four keep up the quality – with ‘Hold Fire’ leading the charge to get you headbanging with a nice dose of good time hard rock and roll, and the wonderful honky-tonk barroom blues of ‘Barman’ that you could imagine The Faces putting out – its great fun and shows a real versatility. It really is cool stuff.
The good news is that the final two are just as good – first the brooding and gritty riff based ‘Let’s Make Money’ before closer ‘Wrong Way’ stops you in your tracks – its a wonderful melodic rocker with an absolutely huge sound that ends proceedings on a real high.
If you love driving hard rock with a touch of whisky in the vocals and plenty of AC/DC in the attitude and a genuine ear for a great rock tune, then this will be one of the best you’ll hear all year.
Highly Recommended
01. Rat Race
02. Take It Or Leave It
03. Lightning In A Bottle
04. Vampress
05. Eyes On You
06. No Way Home
07. Devil In The Detail
08. Tough Kid
09. Hold Fire
10. Barman
11. Let’s Make Money
12. Wrong Way
13. Barman (Piano Version – Bonus Track)
Tom Rampton – Vocals
Dhani Mansworth – Drums
Tagore Grey – Guitars
Tao Grey – Guitar, Bass
Andy Milburn – Bass
Pre Order
www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Good-Luck-Treatment/dp/B08TZ6TCXY