Album review: MASSIVE WAGONS – Earth To Grace

Earache Records [Release date 08.11.24]

Amazingly this is album number seven from Massive Wagons, and their fourth on Earache Records, with their last two albums both making the UK top 10 album chart. No pressure then lads!

The pre-released songs/singles from the album have all been instant hits, as indeed any single should be. ‘Night Skies’ is perhaps the best of them, with a touching and uplifting lyric, showing the band are not all hard rock & metal anthems.

Mind you, if you are after said metal anthem look no further than ‘Sleep Forever’. A belter of a tune, with some splendid guitar solos – great work Adam Thistlethwaite and Stevie Holl. If Metallica hailed from Morecombe they may have sounded like this…

‘The Good Die Young’ features Hundred Reasons’ Colin Doran, another feel good anthem as is ‘Free And Easy’. Surprised the latter didn’t get released as a single as it is one heck of a catchy tune.

Plenty of musical gems dotted throughout the album, including the humorous ‘Like A Fox’ and ‘Rabbit Hole’, where Massive Wagons unleash their inner Wildhearts. Baz Mills and co. don’t pull any punches on this one as they take aim at the conspiracy theorists.

Grab the Epilogue edition and you get four extra tracks, including the classy cowboy version of ‘Free And Easy’, complete with honky-tonk piano. Takes the song to a whole different place. ‘Punk At Heart’ is also worth shelling out the extra for.

Massive Wagons have released their best album since ‘Full Nelson’ in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Bangers the lot of ‘em! ****1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie

Tour dates (2024)

MASSIVE WAGONS (with Florence Black)

Tue 12 Nov Bristol Rough Trade
Fri 22 Nov Nottingham Rock City
Sat 23 Nov Bristol SWX
Sun 24 Nov Southampton Enginerooms
Tue 26 Nov Birmingham O2 Institute
Wed 27 Nov Glasgow SWG3
Fri 29 Nov Manchester O2 Ritz
Sat 30 Nov Shepherds Bush Empire
Fri 06 Dec Dublin Grand Social
Sat 07 Dec Belfast Limelight 2

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
RIOGHAN Hands (Inverse Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)