For anyone impressed with the Graveltones during their time warming up for Rival Sons across the UK last spring, it's been a long, slightly anxious wait for their first full release, ‘Don’t Wait Down’.
Could it match the raw power, intensity and personality of their live show? Would they find enough variation in their style for an entire album? The emphatic answer to both of those questions is yes, in what is one of the finest debuts in a long time.
Having scooped a nomination for Best New Band at the Classic Rock Awards, a Download festival slot and a more recent support tour with the Temperance Movement, the band funded this release through PledgeMusic and cleared their target with some style.
Any fears of the live performance not translating well to vinyl/CD/download are blown away as soon as the opener, Bang Bang, explodes from the speakers. It’s a bold statement of intent, showcasing Jimmy O and MikeySorbello’s talents and jumping between sharp, clean riffs, heavy feedback and a scorching vocal.
Forget About The Trouble has a hint of White Stripes about it stylistically, while Dying On Your Feet is a lyrical standout before it dives into a dense instrumental break, complete with a screaming guitar solo and one of Sorbello’s John Bonham-style beats.
With only the final track clocking in at much over four minutes, there’s barely time to catch your breath. St Lucia growls like an angry bear, before Money provides lyrical maturity and a stinging commentary on society: “Who’s gonna love you when the money’s gone?”
The single lowlight of the album is ballad I Am A Liar, where things are slowed right down, with just a piano as accompaniment to Jimmy’s almost whispered vocal. It’s a nice enough song, and credit is due for attempting a sharp change in pace near the midpoint of such a ferocious album, but it’s too far out of place to really work.
Highlights are numerous though, and Crime To Be Talkin’ is right up there. Starting slowly, with perfectly textured drums and a ringing piano, it builds like a rollercoaster climbing to an exhilarating drop. Two minutes of anticipation launch into heavily distorted guitars and crashing cymbals, Jimmy spitting lyrics with real venom alongside guest vocalist Lauren Tate, whose voice is wonderful and recalls DeapVally’s Lindsey Troy.
Lightning Bolt and You’re No Good will have crowds bouncing at every live show, the latter particularly showcasing their eye for a sharp lyric, and Never Going Back possesses a fine vocal from Jimmy, with a gutsy blues base allowing the duo to also display some virtuoso playing.
Catch Me On The Fly has a bit of a dancehall feel to it and preceded the album, being released at the end of August. It’s undoubtedly a future live favourite and the sort of song you could see closing many a triumphant set over the coming months.
The very best is saved for last though. Six Billion closes the album in glorious fashion. A seven minute, Zeppelin-inspired epic, it creeps up quietly before Jimmy’s vocal enters, raw and vulnerable. Suddenly punctuated by short blasts of heavily distorted guitar, it opens its legs and sprints towards a dizzying finish. It provides a bit of everything that’s been good about the previous 11 tracks and is a perfect closer.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
