Quick plays: DEAD MAN’S WHISKEY, HIGH TREASON, HARBOTTLE & JONAS

DEAD MAN’S WHISKEY – Under The Gun Reloaded McCall Records
[Release date 01.02.19]

I was surprised to find out that Dead Man’s Whiskey are a British band as their sound is more aligned with the likes of Black Stone Cherry and has a heavier Southern Rock feel. The band now reissue an expanded version of their debut album “Under The Gun” and the whole thing has also been re-mastered for the occasion.

The two new tracks, “Raising Hell” and “Racing Bullet” are welcome additions, these sit alongside “My Year”, “War Machine” and “Hoe Street (E17)” as highlights on the album- the latter should have been called “The Ballad of The Victoria Line” and is the only song I can think of that is about Walthamstow. The ultimate highlight on “Under The Gun” though is “My Year”, a slower track that sits at the Skynyrd end of things.

If you liked the original release of “Under The Gun” then you are going to like the reloaded version. If you have never heard of Dead Man’s Whiskey then I suggest you do something about that and seek this album out today. ****

Review by Nikk Gunns

HIGH TREASON Silver Bullets [Release date 19.04.19]

High Treason are another of the seemingly endless procession of bands that never quite made in back in the heyday of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Their one and only single ‘Saturday Night Special’ became a bit of a collectors item. The band reformed in 2012 which saw original guitarist Malcolm Scott joined by Peter Yeomans (vocals), Martin Raggett (bass), Paul Bailey (guitar) and Hudson Deans (drums). They released an album ‘Everything’s Gonna Change’ in 2016 and now three years later we have ‘Silver Bullets’.

Sound wise it is classic British hard rock in sound, in particular the opening salvo of ‘Silver Bullets’ and ‘Looked Outside’ recall Burn, whilst ‘Crosshairs’ recalls latter day UFO. Peter Yeomans has a strong, melodic vocal whilst guitarists Malcolm Scott and Paul Bailey add plenty of riffage to the music.

Given a few slots on classic rock themed festivals, High Treason should win over new fans and they will be suitably impressed by this enjoyable hard rock album. ***1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie

HARBOTTLE & JONAS The Sea Is My Brother [Release date 22.02.19]

Devon based duo David Harbottle (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo) and Freya Jones (vocals, harmonium, concertina) release their fourth album ‘The Sea Is My Brother’, which as the title suggests is a series of songs connected by a nautical theme.

As with many a folk album there are tales of death and despair, along with some up-lifiting moments and a touch of humour – ‘The Saucy Sailor Boy’! The real stand out is ‘Fr. Thomas Byles’, based on the story of Fr. Thomas Byles who remained on the Titanic to absolve all passengers from sin before facing certain death. The vocals are sublime and the chorus a memorable one. ‘Lost To Sea’ recalls the Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecombe Bay in 2004.

Harbottle & Jonas are a talented duo and wrote the majority of the songs on here. Reflective, acoustic based folk and worthy of your listening time. ***

Review by Jason Ritchie

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)