Review Summary: Charms to fuel the restless dreams of youth...
There is a certain sense of gravity to all Blaze Bayley’s solo works. The meaty guitar tone, bottom-heavy arrangements, and gravelly voice, presenting a hefty sci-fi concept or depicting some deep personal struggles of the artist himself. Blaze certainly deserves some credit here, as his lyrics about smiling back at death, waking up to a grinding day, or overcoming various hardships never really feel forced and insincere. There is a story of real endurance and defiance behind these grim riffs and lines. Hell, the man himself resembles a rock, with his bald head and sturdy frame! Still, do you ever wonder if there’s a flip side to this coin?
Well, here it is! Blaze can be all fun and games, he just needs some help from his friends for that. Wolfsbane’s first LP is a collection of up-tempo hard-rocking tunes with hedonistic lyrics revolving around girls, money, and partying. Blaze himself sounds really young here, even boyish at places, projecting the overall feeling of swagger and cockiness, but never at the expense of skill and control over his voice. Look no further than the opener: “Man Hunt” is a high-octane rock’n’roll with unhinged guitar work (Jason Edwards handles all guitar parts on his own here and he’s doing great!). Or, how about my personal favorite? “Killing Machine” features some ferocious drumming, and is probably the most harmonious confluence of the band’s youthful energy and songwriting skill.
These rapid assaults are intertwined with more reserved cuts, such as “Shakin” with more grounded riffs and some tasty soloing, or “Greasy,” which provides a welcome deviation from the general lyrical theme of the album, while also sporting some tight verses and a catchy chorus.
Unfortunately, these are not enough to completely eradicate one of the main issues of the album, which is the lack of variation. This problem first becomes apparent with “Fell Out Of Heaven” which immediately follows “Killing Machine” and feels like a diluted version of that fine song. The situation is quickly remedied by “Money To Burn,” yet another outburst of fast and melodic goodness with an unexpectedly prominent bass line. Nevertheless, after that track and the abovementioned “Greasy”, we are left with four more not-so-exciting songs: an obligatory nondescript ballad “Tears from a Fool” and three more rocking tracks that follow the established formula without adding anything new to the album. It is also here that the overarching exuberant feeling of the album leads to crossing the border between nonchalant attitude and overt shallowness of the lyrical content.
Nevertheless, even at its worst, the LP stands ready to indulge the listener with a good solo, a nice chorus, or some tampering with the usual rock song structure. The album is also reasonably tight and lean. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, but never feels like a glorified EP. Overall, you are always welcome here if you want a slice of young and mischievous music that defies rules, common sense, and even Rick Rubin’s production.
