Okay, before talking in any way about the new album, let me tell you about the band and my prior interaction with them. From their beginnings as “The Phil Campbell All-stars”, I’ve had nothing but bloody good times seeing this act play. With sets at Bloodstock with such luminaries as Dee Snider guesting on vocals and a drunken Pepper Keenan casually wandering on stage to do backing, to packed out club shows where the sweat was dripping off the walls, the band were owning the venue, and the audience were left in a happy moshing mess, I’ve nothing but good things to say about The Bastard Sons live. Hell, if you ever meet me, check out one of my assorted denim cut-offs (“Battle Jackets” can just piss off!), and you’ll see that one proudly displays a band patch with a complimentary raised middle finger badge, both purchased from the merch desk at a gig. Lead by Phil Campbell, one of the most enduring but inexplicably underrated riff-Meisters in Hard Rock and Metal, and yes, he deserves the capital letters, this band just delivers the goods live. Be it their own original material, crowd pleasers from Mr Campbell’s time with Lemmy, or covers of acts like Hawkwind or Bowie, The Bastard Sons are a live presence to be reckoned with, and damn me if I wasn’t happy to be sent the new album to review. So, with that in mind, and an album title ‘We’re The Bastards’, that flips their signature bird to the blandness of the popular music charts, this must be a belter, right? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…!
How do I best define this release? Well, I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed, would probably sum it up. Opener ‘We’re The Bastards’ just strolls unremarkably from the speakers, lacking the fire and fury that the band are so capable of displaying on stage, laden with riffs and refrains that are basically competent and that’s it. This is not so much “Motörhead” as it is “Massive Wagons”, a number seemingly designed for the Classic Rock reader who wants to “Rawk”, but safely. The same near generic delivery continues with ‘Son of a Gun’, something that if I heard a pub band playing (remember pubs, and pub bands folks? Shit, I’m looking forward to the return of live music!) I wouldn’t walk out of, but at the same time, wouldn’t have me shelling out my money to purchase. ‘Born To Roam’ has the potential to offer a bit more with an added opening Country twang, but frankly it then petered out. Indeed, this same Western sound threaded through ‘Desert Song’, but rather than the dark and genuine sound of Johnny Cash it was more along the lines of Jon Bon Jovi’s cowboy phase, and I half expected vocalist Mr Starr to declare that he had “a loaded six string on his back!” Yes, the lyric “shit sticks if you throw enough” had some bite, but it was delivered so meekly that it lost any impact. I’ll happily admit that Phil Campbell’s solo from the song was a blast, but it was all but lost in the midst of the track. The rest of the album ambles along, albeit ‘Hate Machine’ offers some energy, and ‘Destroyed’ throws in a sadly elsewhere missing punk sneer to the delivery, a positive that sadly doesn’t make up for the negative of the rather overproduced and over layered ‘Waves’. Genuinely, there is nothing bad about the album, with each and every member of the band displaying ample musical ability, Phil Campbell’s sons Todd, Dane, and Tyla being more than capable on their respective guitar, drums, and bass, and Neil Starr being a very able vocalist, but just nothing on the album leapt out to demand attention.
So, having pretty much pilloried the album, why have I not given it a lower score? Basically, I bloody love the band live, and I kept on hearing how I imagine they’d deliver each track when they were buoyed up by a baying crowd, and I know that each song has the potential to be so much more. Oh, and if you think I’m just saying that, let me tell you that the tickets I purchased for the 2020 show in Glasgow for me and mine have not been cashed in, remain pinned to the notice board in my house, and I’ve already booked leave to see the show in 2021. The Bastard Sons are a superb live band, but sadly ‘We’re The Bastards’ doesn’t demonstrate that.
(6/10 Spenny)
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