A solid Rock album that will certainly appeal to fans of the 'DC and the likes of Thunder and UFO.
There should still be enough people out there who will remember the name Heavy Pettin' from the eighties, a band who produced some fine music at the time and were touted, for a while at least, as the next big thing. However, a somewhat misguided foray into the murky world of Eurovision ended that idea and the band slipped by the wayside. So, let's fast forward to 2017 and the drummer from aforementioned band, Gary Moat, has re-emerged once more and now put together a new band under the moniker of Burnt Out Wreck as a vehicle to highlight his many talents.
Moat has now stepped out from behind his drum kit to the front line of the band and he makes a decent fist of things too. This debut album is the result of his endeavours and on the whole is a sturdy slab of Hard Rock with the emphasis on guitars and, er... more guitars. Initially recorded with the nucleus of just Moat and Adrian Dunn, but now bolstered by the presence of Paul Gray on drumming duties, as I understand it there is a full band being prepared for touring purposes.
From the very start the band lay their influences bare and it's fair to say they start and end with AC/DC, literally from the opening chords of 'Burnt Out Wreck' through to the closing refrain of 'Best Of Your Life'. I'm a little surprised at this, as I half expected at least some reminders from Moat's past, but not so, and that's fine as he has decided that full-on Hard Rock is the way to go. It's all pretty intense stuff too, with the title track really echoing Angus Young's mob, from the vocals to the sparse but insistent riffing. Other notable highlights include 'Medusa', with its strutting tempo, and the more laid back grooves of 'Flames'. The nearest thing you will get to a Rock ballad here is 'Your Love (Is All I Need)' which smoulders rather nicely.
Everything here is crisply produced and very well played. If there is a criticism, it's that it's slightly one dimensional and I would have preferred a little more variety. However, on the whole this is a solid Rock album that will certainly appeal to fans of the 'DC and the likes of Thunder and UFO.
Malcolm Smith
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