Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Apart from the higher end of the scale – stadium and arena-filling acts – nobody is making money playing music these days. Even for acts that can draw a crowd to Academy-sized venues, nothing is guaranteed, and the thought that success could disappear just as quickly as it appeared must linger in the background. Signing with whatever offshoot of Universal Records is dangling a carrot in front of you must seem tempting, but nine times out of ten, you will find yourself in debt to the label after one album. Costs. Think about the costs of keeping a band on the road. Insane.
Kris Barras recently stepped back from music, saying, among other things, “…I feel ready for a life with a little more financial security…”. So when a band self-releases their debut album in this climate of uncertainty, they aren’t doing it to get rich; they are doing it for the love of music and belief in what they are doing. And that’s the overriding emotion that comes roaring out of the speakers when cranking up the self-titled debut album from Southampton rockers Black Water Redemption.
Apart from the glorious closing track “Walk Beside You”, the Southern Rock-tinged background of the band (which came from the previous incarnation, Western Sand) is nowhere to be found in this new entity. Instead, Black Water Redemption offers up more of a classic Guns N’ Roses sound with a smidgeon of 1987-era Whitesnake here and there.
The fiery lead guitar work from Tyler Hains has an obvious Slash influence, especially in moments during full-on bangers like “Stand For Something” (Velvet Revolver-esque from start to finish) and the rip-roaring “I Gave it All”; both have a killer, sleazy groove to them, with the drumwork from Chris Allen especially impressive on the latter. And anyone tuning in to “Praying to the Sun” would be hard-pressed not to pick up a Coverdale-vibe to Adam Chambers’ vocals, especially on the slower, softer, almost spoken-word sections that work so well amongst some neat guitar licks from Hains. Heavier than most Whitesnake output, but still retains that “Crying in the Rain” vibe. And on “Lightning Strikes”, Hains peels off an effortless solo that bears all the hallmarks of the much-missed John Sykes.
The piano-led “Fly Like the Crow” slows things down a notch or two, with the raw organic feel of Chambers’ vocals striking a Zakk Wylde-sized chord. After settling the listener down for a few minutes, the band raises the tempo once again on the thrilling “Ride or Die”, which features bassist Dan de Vries almost stealing the show with his big-assed basslicks.
All guns blazing, this is a guitar-led album, with some stunning songs; “Walk Beside You” is especially something to shout from the rooftops about. It helps that the standard of playing is very high. Bruce Dickinson recently said about his stellar solo band: “AI can only copy, it can only pretend. It can never be in love, and it can never play. This band? They can really play!” – he could very well have been talking about Black Water Redemption.
Available now: more information HERE
Review: Dave
Photo credits: Lynn Burt Photography
