Pure unadulterated hard rock heaven is all I can say about this particular album. Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons are without a doubt one of the best bands around, their music drives you like nothing else, live they are on a different plain and they have managed to bring that across on to their latest offering “Kings Of The Asylum”, with new singer Joel Peters firmly ensconced he has helped kick the intensity up a notch.
From the opening of “Walking In Circles” you know you’re in for a treat as the energy is off the charts, killer riffs and banging drums set it up nicely for Peters to open up the pipes and let fly, not to mention a brilliant solo, it’s a barn burner of an opener. “Too Much Is Never Enough” gets a little heavier and faster, it’s full on and in your face, gritty riffs rule this particular track and the beat is guaranteed to get you moving, Peters changes his vocals slightly to be harsher and it suits the song perfectly, two songs in and you already have a contender for track of the album. The driving force behind “Hammer And Dance” is Dane Campbell’s monster drumming, combined with Tyla’s thumping bass it smashes you right in the face, the chorus is catchy as hell, and this is a real earworm, and you will be humming it for days even after one listen. “Strike The Match” gives you a real nostalgic feel, it sounds like something that was recorded back in the 80s, there is a real old-school feel to it that is hard to describe but you’ll recognise it as soon as you hear it, maybe it’s just me but there is a real AC/DC vibe off this and I love it. “Schizophrenia” comes in all guns blazing with heavy riffs and drums giving it a kicking rhythm, Peters puts in another sterling performance with his vocals seeming to get better with each track, a whirlwind of a track that will have heads banging and fists pumping.
The title track “Kings Of The Asylum” has a blues vibe to it with a hypnotic rhythm created by Tyla’s bass and Dane’s drumming, some amazing guitar work from Phil and Todd, including a crushing solo, and Peters giving it socks, a truly brilliant track. “The Hunt” has all the elements of a Motorhead song, the combination of Tyla’s bass and Peters’ vocals is like Lemmy himself is on the track, pounding drums and some great guitar interplay with flashy solos make this a killer track. “Show No Mercy” is of a similar vein to its predecessor, hard as hell, sharp riffs, thumping drums and rumbling bass lend themselves nicely to Peters’s rougher vocals, again The guitars of Phil and Todd are outstanding, another monster track. “No Gut! No Glory!” is a different animal all together faster and more aggressive than other tracks, that’s not a bad thing, with some great guitar interplay and punchy drums, the one noticeable thing for me is how Peters sounds uncannily like Ricky Warwick, again no bad thing, a full-on rager is this one. While “Ghosts” may not be the heaviest or fastest the band have ever done it is still one hell of a track with Peters’s raspy voice suiting the title to a tee as it has quite an eerie feel to it, the guitars are once again phenomenal to a crashing backdrop of drums, this one is a bit of a grower. The album closes with “Maniac” and it’s a killer way to close an album, a high-intensity, expletive-laden rocker that will have you screaming a big fuck you to any and all who have ever pissed you off, a nice bit of punk rock attitude to finish it off.
I was really looking forward to hearing this and was not let down in any way, the album is a banger from start to finish.
Kings Of The Asylum arrives Friday, Sept 1st courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records.
Tracklist:
1. Walking In Circles 4:09
2. Too Much Is Never Enough 2:54 3. Hammer And Dance 3:13
4. Strike The Match 4:12
5. Schizophrenia 3:23
6. Kings Of The Asylum 5:29
7. The Hunt 2:50
8. Show No Mercy 3:22
9. No Guts! No Glory! 3:42
10. Ghosts 4:54
11. Maniac 4:55
Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons are:
Phil Campbell Guitar
Todd Campbell Guitar
Tyla Campbell Bass
Dane Campbell Drums
Joel Peters Vocals