Band:
Roland Pierrehumbert: Lead Vocal
Fred Gudit: Rythm Guitar
Boris: Lead Guitar
Michel Demierre: Bass
Lionel Blanc: Drums
Discography:
Roots in Rock (1990)
Showtime (1992)
Stranded (1994)
Sell your Soul For Rock ´n´ roll (1997)
Crocodile (2002)
Gasoline (2004)
Archives (2006)
Cherry Red (2008)
Guests:
Info
Recorded at Alien Crossing, Side Studio, Noisy Records & Pat's Studio
Produced by Sideburn & Beau Hill
Mixed & Mastered by Beau Hill
Released 2011-02-25
Reviewed 2011-03-01
Links:
sideburn.ch
myspace
metalheaven
Sideburn are playing what is generally known as nostalgic rock which of course mean that it is old school, back to the basics rock music with energy and sideburns. The latter might be wrong but it is the other things. It is quite easy to hear from what Australian band these guys draw their inspirations, even though it might be from countrymen Krokus who draw their inspiration from an Australian band. Even so, they do it with their own twist, not like Bonafide or Bullet who copy straight off in a ctrl+c fashion. One thing that make Sideburn different is that they do not have a magpie as a singer but rather a guy with a cleaner voice which still has a lot of rock’n’roll feel to it. Another differens is that Sideburn employ a producer who understand the need to have a clean sound which Sideburn has, which is a welcome change to the more dirty sound that most Australian wannabes have.
Even though Sideburn do a lot of things better than most electrical standard copycats, they still evoke a Borrowed time moment (you know, the left say yes and the right say now as Dennis DeYoung of Styx sing in that song followed by some yes and no from the corresponding speaker). To the question to if it is good the left says yes and the right says no, more or less. Therefore I decided to go left which I generally do and say that it was a good album.
Sideburn has a general good feel to this album, the sound suit the songs well and you are drawn in with it while you listen and it is almost not possible to remain completely still when you listen as it is such a good groove to it. Sure we can hear the elements from their inspirations but at the same time it is with that very own twist that make this band so likeable. Sure in the end it does not really raise to the really high notes but it stays well above the bottomless pit of rubbish where most of the bands in this genre fall down, never to be seen again (hopefully).
I like the opening track which is called Born to Rock and is a song that pulls you in, for a second there you pay more attention and listen which is a good indication of a good track. Then follows a group of tracks that are good but they do not grab me or attract my attention. Long Beard and Boogie is another interesting track with a nice feel and rhythm and one of the standout tracks on this album. The one following it is also quite fun, especially the way Roland the singer sings in it.
In the end I can clearly say that Sideburn manages to make nostalgic rock that is not just rubbish, they do not fall into the same traps as most others and therefore avoid being copycats and instead they add their touch to a genre that otherwise seems like it is already stuffed. Well done Sideburn for that, now all they need is to make an album that really rocks, Jail rocks but it does not really rock.
HHHHHHH
