HEAVEN THE AXE

SEX, CHUGS & ROCK 'N' ROLL

RELEASED 2011

You know what? It's one of the best feelings when something comes out of the blue and sounds so good.

One thing I can say after living with this one for a few weeks now is that it is a pretty stunning debut. Melbourne's Heaven The Axe has managed to produce something of a minor masterpiece that manages to combine a number of styles and sounds to end up with something both 'out there' and accessible. It’s an album that is both heavy and driven, but with a delicate underbelly that just goes to show what the band is already capable of and makes you wonder what they can achieve next!

Listening to the opener ‘Enemy’ you might think that you are looking at some standard, albeit very superior, cock rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a great track, and I for one can’t get it off the I-pod, but it’s also probably the most standard rock track here.

If you love riff-driven rock and roll with a big emphasis on melody this is for you. Imagine big heavy riffs and sexy Amplett meets Morissette vocals. It rocks hard and yet it’s not a million miles away from sounding like it could pick up some airplay even in today’s climate. I’m not sure it should work this well, or why it does but the planets seem to have aligned over Melbourne and it just does OK!

For me there’s not a bad track on the CD, but my personal favourites would have to be the wonderful ‘Masochist’ which you could argue is as fine a rock song as you’ll hear this year. But there’s far more: ‘Glue’ which just takes the prize for me is a gem of a quirky rock song, great riff, great energy, a big fat sexy MF of a song that will (sorry about this) stick with you for ages. The final part of my rocked out trifecta is a complete and utter change of pace: the heart-wrenching ballad ‘Unconditional Love; which is so mature and deep and delicate you’d swear  it was written by someone with many more years under their belt. Simply beautiful.

If I was going to suggest you shell out on an artist this year that you may not have heard of before then at the minute these are the guys. Remember this album does what it says on the tin: Sex, Chugs and Rock N Roll baby! Music to drink beer and have sex to…

And the production too is top notch.

Take a chance on an Aussie band? They might just be the next big one!

By Mark Diggins