{"id":25409,"date":"2013-01-28T10:49:22","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T15:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=25409"},"modified":"2014-02-16T09:08:41","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T14:08:41","slug":"the-loyalties-til-the-death-of-rock-roll-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/the-loyalties-til-the-death-of-rock-roll-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Loyalties | \u2019Til the Death of Rock & Roll<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Trevor Portz<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"TheAs the title of the new Loyalties album alludes, perhaps the rumors of rock and roll\u2019s demise are greatly exaggerated. Hard as it may be to believe, especially given the current state of popular music, maybe there is a little life left in rock after all. But whether in its golden years, or just a midlife crisis, the Loyalties seem hell-bent on proving that rock\u2019s dirty old heart is still beating.<\/p>\n

Picking up where So Much for Soho<\/em> left off, \u2018Til the Death of Rock & Roll<\/em> fully embraces all of the greatest tenets of rock, seemingly ignoring the fads and trends that threaten it. From the opening title track (following a brief \u201cFuneral March\u201d intro), to the closing bars of \u201cRock & Roll Over (and Die),\u201d you can expect heartfelt melodies; unforgiving, anthemic choruses; witty lyrics; multilayered harmonies; and guitar riffs that channel Eddie Cochran, Joe Strummer, and Johnny Ramone. There\u2019s even a cowbell on \u201cMeat in the City\u201d worthy of Will Farrell\u2019s percussive might. Is there any better formula for a killer record?<\/p>\n

Standout tracks here include \u201cThe Will to Kill,\u201d a duet with Nella Johnson from the Barker Band; a re-recorded \u201cI\u2019m the Blues,\u201d previously found on a split single with Duff McKagan\u2019s Loaded; the punked-up \u201cPheromone Jones;\u201d and \u201cAshtray\u2019s Empty,\u201d which could easily be a long-lost track from Tom Spencer\u2019s Big Boy Tomato days. <\/p>\n

The production and performances here are great, and more importantly, honest. Those seeking a million-times overdubbed, auto-tuned piece of plastic best look elsewhere. This is real music played by real people, and though that may not sit well with label execs, it much more palatable to music purists.<\/p>\n

The Loyalties may not be doing anything particularly groundbreaking, but they do what they do with enough passion and vigor that, frankly, it doesn\u2019t really matter. Better still, they\u2019re devoted to doing so until the great beast that is rock and roll is truly extinct. Let\u2019s hope that\u2019s not for a very, very long time. <\/p>\n

Genre: Rock and Roll<\/p>\n

Band Members:
\nTom Spencer (v,b)
\nRich Jones (g,v)
\nLee Jonez (g)
\nSimon Maxwell (d)
\nRich Rags (g,v)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tIntro\/Funeral March
\n2.\t\u2018Til the Death of Rock & Roll
\n3.\tMeat in the City
\n4.\tThe Will to Kill
\n5.\tDeath Girl
\n6.\tI\u2019m the Blues
\n7.\tWhiskey Under the Bridge
\n8.\tKiller Radio
\n9.\tTo the Flame
\n10.\tAshtray\u2019s Empty
\n11.\tPheromone Jones
\n12.\tOne Reason
\n13.\tWhole Lotta Hate
\n14.\tCarry Me Home
\n15.\tRock & Roll Over (and Die)\/Epilogue<\/p>\n

Label: Heavy Hearts\/Devil\u2019s Jukebox<\/p>\n

Website: theloyalties.bandcamp.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.3\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Trevor Portz – Senior Columnist — As the title of the new Loyalties album alludes, perhaps the rumors of rock and roll\u2019s demise are greatly exaggerated. Hard as it may be to believe, especially […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,334],"class_list":{"0":"post-25409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2013","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25409\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}