One thing I really love about the modern bands is that they capture the essence of certain eras of rock music and do so in a way as to not seem like they’re imitating it. The way a lot of these band go about it and keep it fresh is by either fusing multiple eras into one sound or taking one era and giving it a modern spin on it. Dead City Ruins is one such band doing that.
I’ll admit up front that I wasn’t familiar with this band until I came across the video for the album’s opening track “Preacher” which blew me away. I grew up on 70s rock and this song gave me immediate comparisons to Led Zepplin, AC/DC, and a bit of Black Sabbath but with more modern bands fused with those elements. The song hits hard as it starts out with slow pounding drums and some hard rocking, grooving riffs, Steve Welsh comes in with great commanding vocals that remind me of Kristian Johansen from Junkyard Drive. The riffs groove with a style somewhere between Jimmy Page and Malcolm Young, this track has an excellent chorus and the song will get you moving.
The beginning riff of “Vision ” sounds remarkably close to the beginning riff of “Borderline Crazy” by The Cruel Intentions but hits harder with incredible work by the rhythm section consisting of bassist Luke Bolton and drummer Nick Trajanovski, Deep Purple would be proud of the riffs on this song and yet as classic rock as the skeleton of this song sounds the meat of it is still very modern in sound.
“Madness” I feel is less anchored to classic influences and has a slight Soundgarden heavy rhythm but bluesier, the vocal harmonies on the chorus bring to mind Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, and that bass line breakdown in the song is fantastic. “Speed Machine” would fit right in on a Velvet Revolver album, it’s energetic pace keeps the album moving and has an epic solo in it. The guitar work on this album courtesy of Tommy Tbone and Sean Blanchard is absolutely fantastic, the styles that these guys fuse together on this album they pull off extremely well, They are very versatile players with a lot of skill and technique.
“Rain” is an interesting musical hybrid, think “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi meets the mellower side of Alice In Chains. It goes from hypnotic driving softer melodies to hard hitting riffs around the chorus and third act of the song, by far one of my favourite tracks on the album.
“Dog on a Leash” reminds me of The Cruel Intentions meets John Corabi era The Dead Daisies, another great energetic rocker. This song’s guitar solo as it squeals and howls is awesome.
“This Side of The Dirt” starts out with a good fast tempo drum rhythm and slow building guitars that initially gave me Guns N’ Rose’s vibes before venturing a little more Junkyard Drive territory. “Drifter” brings back that bluesier Led Zepplin element, but with more of a Soundgarden groove. The heavy handed rhythms on this album really give a groove and swagger that was more a part of the 70s rock sound than it was in the 80s, it’s nice to listen to a band that has that going for them. “Spiders” musically is like Black Sabbath meets southern rock but the vocals have that Junkyard Drive meets Alice In Chains sound.
“End of the Line” is another great driving rock song. “Blood Moon” is an incredible track that I think the whole band really shines on, the grooving riffs, the technical drumming and thunderous bass line, the powerful vocals, this song just has it all, And that fade out at the end of the song is really cool. “The Sorcerer” is another great fusion of 70’s and modern which has incredible riffs and melodies, another one of my favourites and a powerful end to a great album.
Shockwave comes across as a musical statement, it’s extremely impressive in it’s ambition, skill, and composition. The influences I pull in my attempt to describe their sound are bands I admire, combining the styles of those bands isn’t a common or simple feat. On face value these are excellent songs, but when you examine them deeper and really pay attention to what’s going on in their structure it’s extremely impressive. I highly recommend checking out Dead City Ruins and their incredible new album.
9/10