{"id":13263,"date":"2013-07-19T00:00:33","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T00:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=13263"},"modified":"2013-07-25T09:58:21","modified_gmt":"2013-07-25T09:58:21","slug":"album-review-lawless-rock-savage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-lawless-rock-savage\/","title":{"rendered":"LAWLESS – Rock Savage (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAWLESS
Rock Savage<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nEscape Music (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I think a majority of people who first saw the band name and that album title probably thought this was going to be some type of Steel Panther sort of metal parody. What with so many bands attempting to recreate the 80s it wouldn\u2019t have surprised me either, but Lawless are a very different kettle of metal.<\/p>\n

This UK quartet is fronted by Paul Hume, who you may know from classic metal band Demon. Hume is also accompanied by Demon drummer Neil Ogden, so immediately I\u2019m drawn to this opus, wondering if this is going to be a slab of vintage rock or something altogether different. <\/p>\n

Well, Hume also plays guitar, but the leads for the band are provided by Persian Risk axeman Howie G., and the thunder bass comes courtesy of Josh \u2018Tabbie\u2019 Williams (HeadrusH), so these ingredients should give you a clue that Lawless are very much a hard rockin\u2019 band.<\/p>\n

According to the press release, Lawless was put together by Ogden and Hume at the end of 2012 to \u201cshake up rock music on the European circuit\u201d, and one spin of this suggests they\u2019ve achieved their goal. Whether it’s intended or not I don\u2019t know, but Rock Savage<\/em> takes me right back to the late 80s \u2013 late night radio, sweeping rhythms, and sultry vocals \u2013 and the polished production of Hume and Ogden is just right for this type of heavy rock.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Friday night, the beats alright, we don\u2019t care if you don\u2019t get it\u201d<\/em> croons Hume on \u2018Heavy Metal Heaven\u2019 over a killer rockin\u2019 riff and I\u2019m there, right back in those magical days. Lawless are a real metal band. Sure, it\u2019s on the lighter side, which is why it fits into that late 80s scene which bridged the gap between classic rock and hair metal, but once you hear those soaring vocals and the lines \u201cWe\u2019re livin\u2019 in a heavy metal heaven\u201d<\/em>, you\u2019ll be wishing you never sold those Whitesnake and Scorpions albums.<\/p>\n

It just about sums up heavy metal that only the veterans of the scene can save us from the mediocre revival acts and great pretenders. Lawless is a band high on melody but it\u2019s not just about the softer side of rock. Howie G.\u2019s solos are staggering, pure metal magic as he saunters across the ears on \u2018Black Widow Ladies\u2019, a typically 80s yet crisp, simmering track with its slow building tempo, tumbling drums and that Whitesnake type of pomp.<\/p>\n

However, the band also effortlessly adopt a glam sway to the sound, especially on that sleazy chorus, but if it\u2019s a full-on metal attitude you want then \u2018F.O.A.D.\u2019 (hell, I only thought thrash bands adopted the term \u201cFuck off and die\u201d?!!) will have you rockin\u2019 into the night. The same could also be said for the drivin\u2019 \u2018Misery\u2019 with its ferocious guitar, but where the band really does shine is on the archetype hair metal candle waver \u2018S.O.S.\u2019. Paul Hume\u2019s vocals are incredibly warm and sultry as the guitars cut deep and build to that immense chorus. Coupled with the pensive drums and enigmatic solos, \u2018S.O.S.\u2019 is hard rock played for keeps \u2013 the quartet showcasing their talents but also able to combine a modern, polished feel with traditional rock shades.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rock \u2018N\u2019 Roll City\u2019, \u2018Step In\u2019 (with its Def Leppard-meets-hair metal party swagger) and the weighty \u2018Scream\u2019 give the listener such a variety of moods to tune into, all bolstered by that soulful vocal and constant driving weight.<\/p>\n

\u2018Where Heroes Fall\u2019 is a huge, sweeping metal track that builds to an expressive crescendo, but the band can\u2019t leave the speakers without reminding us what we\u2019re here for, and the pounding \u2018Metal Time\u2019 transports us back to those Twisted Sister days of rockin\u2019 rebellion with that cheeky guitar sound and Hume\u2019s lively vocal. \u201cWhen the bell rings, only one thing on his mind… it\u2019s metal time!\u201d<\/em>, Hume wails, and we\u2019re delivered with a thump back to reality. But can you resist another spin of this slab of 80s influenced rock? I can\u2019t. <\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LAWLESSRock Savage Escape Music (2013)Rating: 8\/10 I think a majority of people who first saw the band name and that album title probably thought this was going to be some type of Steel Panther sort of metal parody. What with so many bands attempting to recreate the 80s it wouldn\u2019t have surprised me either, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,654],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-lawless"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13263"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13291,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13263\/revisions\/13291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}