{"id":48146,"date":"2015-02-09T19:19:39","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T00:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=48146"},"modified":"2015-02-09T21:08:11","modified_gmt":"2015-02-10T02:08:11","slug":"black-star-riders-the-killer-instinct-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/black-star-riders-the-killer-instinct-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Star Riders | The Killer Instinct<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"blackstarriders_killerinstinct\"Have you ever wondered how Thin Lizzy would have sounded if it was transferred into the 21st century? And, of course, we are not talking the star-studded touring assembly under the Lynott\u2019s band moniker that\u2019s perhaps one of the most blatant examples of the so-called \u201cnostalgia act.\u201d It\u2019s not what we have in mind here, but Black Star Riders was put together on the ashes of it. Not too keen on using the original Lizzy moniker while releasing new studio material, Scott Gorham and the pack chose to avoid any associations with Thin Lizzy as far as the name is concerned \u2026 and yet, one could jokingly assume, the spirit of Phil Lynott must have spent quite a lot of time with the quintet in the studio prompting them ideas! Both albums released by Black Star Riders so far \u2013 2013\u2019s All Hell Breaks Loose<\/em> and this year\u2019s The Killer Instinct<\/em> \u2013 are all about the sound and style that made Lizzy stand out among the vast wave of \u201870s era hard rock bands. And even though the uniqueness of Lynott seemed to be indisputable, surprisingly it\u2019s the band\u2019s singer \u2013 and a longtime Lizzy fan \u2013 Ricky Warwick that brings the deceased singer to mind every time he articulates his lines in a deep, husky voice with a strong Irish accent. The resemblance is striking at times \u2013 minus Afro, of course \u2026<\/p>\n

The Killer Instict<\/em> starts with the title track which \u2013 from the twin guitar sound and a distinctive bass line to Warwick\u2019s mentioned vocal style and articulation \u2013 sounds as the \u201870s era Thin Lizzy incarnated. And even though there are some touches of contemporary production in Black Star Riders\u2019 music that a trained ear could have perhaps picked up here and there, an impression of \u201cThe Killer Instinct\u201d being the updated and re-recorded version of \u201cThe Boys Are Back In Town\u201d is somewhat inescapable. On the other hand, it\u2019s something one could have actually expected all along the way from the outfit that was founded on the ashes of Thin Lizzy and is run by Scott Gorham. The impression is no different with the second track \u201cBullet Blues,\u201d which \u2013 accordingly to the title \u2013 is a heavily \u201870s influenced Hard Rock piece with distinct bluesy echoes and trademark guitar harmonies. Surprisingly, \u201cFinest Hour\u201d that comes next shows slightly different dimension to Black Star Riders as the band finally shakes off their \u201870s Lizzy aura in favor of more contemporary, radio-friendly melodic rock. Not the most convincing endeavor of theirs, perhaps, but less generic than its predecessors. <\/p>\n

Influenced with the traditional Irish music and guitar-laden, \u201cSoldierstown\u201d is again classic Thin Lizzy revisited with a bit of a modern twist, slightly tinted also with the style utilized by\u2026 Lizzy\u2019s former shredder Gary Moore in the mid-\u201880s. Still a well-crafted track on its own, it\u2019s one of the entire album\u2019s highlights with its feisty background chants and the brilliant work of the rhythm section. Next goes a groovy, feisty piece \u201cCharlie I Gotta Go\u201d followed by wistful, melodic tones of \u201cBlindsided.\u201d Differently from their ballad-esque predecessor, \u201cThrough The Motions\u201d and \u201cSex, Guns And Gasoline\u201d combine the classic and the modern into a pulsating, raw hard rock mixture, both embroidered with tasteful guitar licks and a blazing solo. And perhaps it\u2019s the actual song formula the band should focus on \u2013 while their Lynott-era Lizzy-influenced tracks are undoubtedly convincing and well-crafted, there\u2019s more to the latter blues-infused part of the album than just re-visiting what\u2019s been recorded by Scott Gorham\u2019s original band back in the \u201870s. The final tracks are Irish folk-tinted \u201cTurn In Your Arms\u201d and \u201cYou Little Liar\u201d laden with Lynott-esque throaty howl, their roots again obvious, but their quality indisputably high music-wise.<\/p>\n

As it was said before, The Killer Instinct<\/em> is a second album recorded since the modern-day touring version of Thin Lizzy morphed into Black Star Riders. And on the one hand, what one could have expected from the group \u2013 comprised of seasoned and talented musicians \u2013 is to pursue more of their own style instead of relying on the established Lizzy-esque aesthetics of twin guitar harmonies, references to Irish folk music and a low, husky vocal style. On the other, there is something really true about the proverbial apple not falling far from the tree \u2026 and in this particular case, it\u2019s hard to dismiss the quality of the final effect anyway. All comparisons aside, The Killer Instinct<\/em> is a fine Hard Rock album with multitude of varied influences, comprised of well-crafted and high-class material \u2013 and, after all, something the mighty Lynott and Moore wouldn\u2019t have founded themselves ashamed of.<\/p>\n

Genre: Hard Rock, Classic Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nRicky Warwick \u2013 vocals, guitar
\nScott Gorham \u2013 lead guitar
\nDamon Johnson \u2013 lead guitar
\nRobbie Crane \u2013 bass guitar
\nJimmy DeGrasso \u2013 drums<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tKiller Instinct
\n2.\tBullet Blues
\n3.\tFinest Hour
\n4.\tSoldierstown
\n5.\tCharlie I Gotta Go
\n6.\tBlindsided
\n7.\tThrough The Motions
\n8.\tSex, Guns & Gasoline
\n9.\tTurn In Your Arms
\n10.\tYou Little Liar<\/p>\n

Label: Nuclear Blast<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/blackstarriders.com\/<\/a> – https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BlackStarRidersOfficial<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — Have you ever wondered how Thin Lizzy would have sounded if it was transferred into the 21st century? And, of course, we are not talking the star-studded touring […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":48147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[9154,2317,1104,1103,339,4419,10718],"class_list":{"0":"post-48146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-black-star-riders","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-classic-rock","11":"tag-hard-rock","12":"tag-nuclear-blast","13":"tag-scott-gorham","14":"tag-the-killer-instinct"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48146","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=48146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}