Their ‘Mounting the World’ EP was a good taster for what this band are about. Essentially, good fun traditional/speed/thrash/glam metal. ‘Rise and Ride’ is a mix of everything that was fun about metal some decades ago. Presented with a sound that is a touch vintage, this has real party legs and doesn’t feel ashamed of its clear retro feel to the record in all its fist raising glory.
‘Stigmatized’ has near speed metal tendencies, brash and quite harsh, the kind of tune that gets your blood pumping and head banging. ‘Bill to Pay’ is a lot more tongue in cheek, especially the lyrics and takes style inspiration from the sunset strip scene without verging majorly into possible so called false metal credentials (I never agreed with that term at the time!). ‘The Devil Never Sleeps’ and ‘Wooden Horse’ are tunes that ignite passion and vigour like the results of having a dozen Jägermeister shots with a branded energy drink in rapid succession, it may sound dangerous by comparison, but it’s a damn good place to be. I toiled long and hard about this release, does it have value, and does it have the necessary credibility to really survive in this current climate? My result was that the fun element is mixed perfectly with some rabid speed and metal camaraderie, it doesn’t sound difficult, it is certainly an easy listen, of course there will be people who will scoff and disagree, but you have to remember, music doesn’t have to be all extreme this and extreme that, it can have a degree of enjoyment and this is supported by the full dynamic range of vocalist “Paul” that tops off this simple yet effective release perfectly.
If you are not looking for originality then Stallion are doing what they’re doing, if you don’t like it then essentially go and look elsewhere is the impression I get from this release. Screaming out of the darkness, with speed, passion and more references to past masters than you can shake a stick at, ‘Rise and Ride’ keeps the older fan very happy and provides a good reference point for the younger fans amongst you that may be tired with the hyped scene that some bands reside within lately, with just enough of a rough edge to be cool as fuck.
(8.5/10 Paul Maddison)
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