An unexpected and unheralded white labelled CD drops on the doormat of The Rockpit more than a few times a week and along with the hundreds of other submissions it takes its place in the queue.It’s ones like his though that you wished you’d given a spin before as UK rocker Rob Lewis has released what proves to be a highly enjoyable listen under the name ‘Demons Sing of The End’.
Noticeably a little rough around the edges, there are far more positives than negatives with this release. Indeed if you can forgive the variable production (great on the first song, less polished on some others) particularly around the vocals which sound a little thin at times, and seem at times slightly out of sync with the backing vocals, you’ll love this.
The album starts out sounding like it hails from the Sunset Strip circa the late eighties, and whilst the band don’t name-check any of those denizen they do site Kiss and Skid Row as influences, and whilst I don’t get the sonics of either of those bands I do get the intent. To me this is more a collection of songs that encompasses the sleazy attitude of The Sunset Strip and at time ventures further afield to meet 90’s power rock/pop head-on. The good news is that by and large it works, at times it works so well you’ll get lost in it, and at its worst it is only guilty of sounding competently generic. There’s far more of the former.
Opener ‘Cat Got Your Tongue’ is the sleaziest slab here and the one most likely to impress those who love that hair metal sunset strip style rock sound, you might even get a jab of Skid Row in there if you get too close. The album isn’t all just about that instant hit though, lead single ‘Anthem for the Last Days of Earth’ is the yardstick here and a killer song it is too with a big fat riff and a chorus meant to be sung with your fists in the air.
Elsewhere you’ll be thrilled and enthralled by the likes of the harder-edged ‘We Came to Fight’, ‘City of Nightmares’ and the crunching ‘A Soul to Sell’ and even the ballad ‘I’m Nor Ready (To Say Goodbye)’ isn’t half bad. We close though with a cover of the mighty ‘Survivor’s ‘Burning Heart’ which does what good covers should do – take a great song,spin it a little and make it R.O.C.K.
If there is a downside here it might well be the garage-style production. Though to be honest I don’t think it detracts too much from the whole, though I might be tempted to play around a little with the mix and the vocals. At the end of the day this is good and this is fun and it certainly sounds like it comes from the heart.