{"id":56427,"date":"2017-12-17T13:48:56","date_gmt":"2017-12-17T18:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=56427"},"modified":"2017-12-17T13:50:40","modified_gmt":"2017-12-17T18:50:40","slug":"roadhog-the-oppressors-music-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2017\/roadhog-the-oppressors-music-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Roadhog | The Oppressors"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n— Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Half a century after the foundations was laid for its existence, there\u2019s something fascinating about how Rock and Metal music comes full circle now. Call it riding a wave of nostalgia or back-to-basics approach \u2013 after decades of evolution, cross-genre experimentation and hybridization, now the genre is more focused on its past than its future. Or maybe its past and future are exactly the same\u2026? For certain, it is so for Roadhog. After their 2015 debut Dreamstealer<\/em>, the young Polish four-piece returns with a new full length The Oppressors also released via the U.S. label Stormspell Records.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s really no need to draw the aforesaid line between Metal\u2019s past and future on The Oppressors. Just take a look at the album cover adorned with furry beasts and the obligatorily well-endowed, scantily clad, shackled lady (and yes, fans of Accept and Halford know certain Claudio Bergamin who drew this\u2026) And if the picture\u2019s not clear enough yet, the titles of particular tracks also speak volumes \u2013 think \u201cBlack Moon\u201d, \u201cChildren Of The Dark\u201d, \u201cFight It Back\u201d\u2026 Roadhog is simply an NWOBHM band that \u2013 due to the strange coincidence \u2013 was conceived about three decades later than it should be. Or \u2013 better yet \u2013 it\u2019s exactly that kind of band Rock journos coined the hybrid term NWOTHM for. Music-wise, their sophomore effort The Oppressors is the also clear reflection of this fact. <\/p>\n

The album is full of raw guitar riffs, punchy choruses, aggressive chants and tight rhythm section work \u2013 all delivered with the rough, almost Punk-ish attitude so typical to classic NWOBHM albums alongside a bit of Mot\u00f6rhead-esque nonchalance. Obviously, that doesn\u2019t exclude penchant for melody. The elaborate guitar work in \u201cThe Fear\u201d and \u201cSuffer In Silence\u201d or the slow-ish part of the title track are the clearest examples of this fact. Tracks like \u201cFight It Back\u201d and \u201cAll Hell\u2019s Breaking Loose\u201d increase tempo to breakneck speed \u2013 a convincing homage to the \u201880s Speed Metal classics \u2013 whereas the dark and somber ballad \u201cChildren Of The Dark\u201d shows yet another side of the band. <\/p>\n

2017 marks not only the release of Roadhog\u2019s second album but also the fifth band anniversary. And as The Oppressors proves, the group appears tight and focused in spite of only five years of stage tenure under their belt. The quartet can certainly translate their \u201880s classic Heavy and Speed Metal influences into their own songs, their sound perhaps not original but delivered with genuine enthusiasm and dedication. It certainly has its melodic moments, but it\u2019s also far from being polished. For those eager to classify, Roadhog would have its place firmly secured among the most convincing NWOTHM acts. However, for those who opt for enjoying music regardless of the actual labels, The Oppressors is simply a fine album one should not miss.<\/p>\n

Genre: Heavy Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nKrzysztof \u201cKrzychu\u201d Tabor – vocals, bass guitar
\nMaciej “Ogor\u201d Szupik – guitar
\nPrzemek \u201cPemo\u201d Murzyn – guitar
\nMichal \u201cKoziol\u201d Koziol – drums<\/p>\n

Tracklist:
\n1.\tFall From Grace
\n2.\tThe Fear
\n3.\tSuffer In Silence
\n4.\tBlack Moon
\n5.\tThe Oppressors
\n6.\tChildren Of The Dark
\n7.\tFight It Back
\n8.\tSet The World On Fire
\n9.\tShadowmaker
\n10.\t(Don\u2019t) Follow Them
\n11.\tAll Hell\u2019s Breaking Loose<\/p>\n

Label: Stormspell Records<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/roadhogband\/<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: [usr 8.5 size=20]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska — Sr. Columnist — Half a century after the foundations was laid for its existence, there\u2019s something fascinating about how Rock and Metal music comes full circle now. Call it riding a […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":56428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15128],"tags":[14018,2491,13292,3897,14015,14017,14016],"class_list":{"0":"post-56427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2017","8":"tag-dreamstealer","9":"tag-heavy-metal","10":"tag-music-reviews","11":"tag-nwobhm","12":"tag-roadhog","13":"tag-stormspell-rercords","14":"tag-the-oppressors"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56427","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=56427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}