Six piece retro-rock outfit Flayed hail from the southeast of France and have one mission – to bring the highlights of the 70’s rock sound to our modern era. Taking a 40+ year old sound and style of playing and giving it a new lick of paint to catch the new generation’s interest, Flayed already have one release to their name and “Monster Man” is their latest work. With plenty of big guitars, big vocals and Hammond organ use, it conveys one simple message – party.
“Release The Fever” opens with a fast paced quick guitar and drum intro but within seconds, that unmistakable Hammond Organ kicks in and everything is right with the world. Vocally, it’s rather gritty and rock ‘n roll like with bags of attitude and power in the delivery and as the song goes on, it sounds like a strange result of merging recent Clutch with classic Deep Purple, it’s got bags of boogie and real rock and roll kick all over it. Title track “Monster Man” is the lead single for the album and it has an awesome video to go with it (see below). Keeping that Deep Purple feel to it but packing even more boogie-friendly rock shuffle into the riffs courtesy of the magical sound the Organ makes, it just storms through. Massive sounding choruses, tasty blues flavoured lead licks and a real tight and wild guitar solo really caps the track. Just give it a listen and find out for yourself.
“No Surrender” has a punchier hard rock sound to it with some steady pace and bags of attitude in the delivery. Vocally it flows well, rather tame in the verses but that gritty tone and the stronger emphasis in the big sounding moments really shines through, bringing the slightly restrained track to life. Round the mid-point it bursts to life after a build-up feeling break section and the solo is the flick of the switch which ups the pace, taking this steady paced nod along track to a turbo-charged monster with a slick and blistering blues based solo which ends the track in a fantastic way. “Stanced” has a murky sounding opening riff which is a little harsh initially, but the organ working with it rounds it off a little, giving some definition to it. Fast vocal delivery which doesn’t miss a beat sounds similar in both the verse and chorus with the powerful delivery and the only real difference musically between the verses and the chorus might just be the frequency of the chords being played. It’s a lot heavier than the previous tracks, and the Organ solo instantly brings flashes of ‘Highway Star’ by Deep Purple to mind and the guitar solo, whilst not as iconic as Blackmore’s one on the previously mentioned track is just as wild and free flowing with the technical precision you’d expect from a band with a big Deep Purple influence.
“Up Above” brings the lighter rock approach back with a slow intro with some crunchy overdriven tones delivered to a real pushing feel. With a similar sound to AC/DC but with more dirty southern rock twang to it, it sounds similar to Black Stone Cherry in some ways, especially in the chorus whilst “Novel” brings us to a real slow blues shuffle feel. With a tasty sounding blues riff which beefs up when the organ comes in, its delivered at a slow pace with plenty of swagger about it. Strong vocals, tasty bluesy licks and fills and dramatic organ work in the chorus really make this track stand out with its rawness and the obligatory bluesy solo which will have you screwing your face up like you’re trying to pass a kidney stone whilst air guitaring along is a joy to listen to. “Unfairly Pure” sticks with the bluesy theme, but this time brings a more punchy hard rock variant of it. Bringing pace and sound, it has a good feel and groove to it which will have you nodding along in approval and the bassline and riffing really drive this track along. It’s simple, it’s effective and of course, the classic rock styled solo with its fast fills and real melodic hooks caps off a great track.
“Heat Of The Sun” takes us more towards the Texan power trio ZZ Top in its delivery. The sleazy feel blues riffs sound magnificent and the vocals are really powerful on this one. It’s got that punchy bouncy feel in the verse from the guitar and the way the organ augments it, making a clear contrast between the raw guitar and bright organ is a great dynamic. Vocally it’s akin to that of Chris Cornell, full on gravelly and raw and when these all combine, you get a real great track, especially with the guitar solo which Billy Gibbons would surely approve of! Closing the album is “Too Young For An Old Man” which brings back the murky sounding fuzzy guitars. The Organ in this one really shines through on this one, helping add to the pace and delivery of the track and in the verse, the low/high vocal interplay with the call and response styled delivery keeps things interesting. As it progresses, it gets faster. The twisty guitar fills lead to a slight rockabilly feel and the organ and guitar solo trade off spot is one of those moments where if in the live setting, it would have everyone stood there, jaws hanging and eyes wide with amazement. It gives a real gritty end to what has been a fantastic album.
Overall, Flayed are the latest in a wave of bands who have took that retro-rock approach but made it sound fresh compared to the others who just recycle the sound with no new touches or personal inputs. It’s a fantastic blend of classic rock and modern punch and it works like a charm, with copious amounts of boogie, blues and groove to satisfy all. This album is certainly one for the party soundtrack!
(8/10 Fraggle)
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