Frontiers [Release date: 13.09.24]
Well, this is interesting. The Nail are a trio of young musicians… Girish Pradhan, a vocalist being mentored by the label, last fronting George Lynch’s End Machine. And two guitarists, brothers Efe and Reis Ali Eroglu, sons of Cenk, ex=Winger and Crossing Rubicon.
(Cenk gave me hell for getting two song titles wrong in a review of Crossing Rubicon. Quite right, I’d have done the same).
The Nail’s melodic hard rock is highly derivative. (Show me an original rock band).
But let’s not dwell on that.
While in many instances there’s instant familiarity, there are new wrinkles, and mostly these add to the original sounds, assembled into something we can recognise and enjoy.
The key here is that they’ve discovered a rich seam of supple melodies, tight riffs and razoring axework … and a handful of hard rock nuggets. Not every one works but all they all hold up well.
They make good if infrequent use of quotidian noise. The blare of vehicle traffic, an enigmatic quote from Hitchcock, and so on.
Opener and first “single”, ‘Hit And Run’ is a peach. It’s urgent and melodic, End Machine ish. It arrives fully formed, then exits quickly when its 4 minute job is done.
Title track, ‘The Nail’ isn’t far behind. There’s a sameness about the music, but it’s broken up by Pradhan’s impressively sturdy vocals and the brothers’ slick axework.
It has a sense of menace, but is not nearly as menacing as ‘Exorcist’, which is much more intense and threatening, not least thanks to the visceral power of Pradhan’s vocals.
‘Walk The Line’ moves away from the model established by the earlier tracks, gravitating to a slower, darker arrangement, with the brothers wrenching oily axework from the rock’n’roll machine, as they prove they are no slaves to custom. The noirish strings add drama and depth. Very Winger. Album standout track.
The Nail is not everything you might expect it to be from its pedigree, but it’s closing in, and the way ahead is well signposted. ***
Review by Brian McGowan
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)
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