Never heard of Snakebite? Well neither had we, but with a tagline like ‘Snakes, Drugs and Rock N Roll’ they had to be checked out. As it turns out we’d rather missed the boat with this being the German band’s second release after a highly praised debut ‘Princess of Pain’ released in March 2015 (on Maniac Attack Records).
So what do we get? The band would tell you this is “… the return of Hardrock: No masquerade – no faking – no compromise!” and to be honest I take their point- this is a band clearly playing the music they love and trying to kick-start a genre that has always been downtrodden by the mass media even at the height of its popularity.
‘Freedom’ that kicks off proceedings here is a fiery hard rocker that sets up nicely the ‘clenched fists and defiance’ attitude of the album, it’s a rebel rousing rocker that sounds fresh and in your face, the guitars wails and the vocals courtesy of Dominik Wagner really hit the spot nicely. Sure we’ve heard it all before but this really is done particularly well and elevates the album as a whole from the merely great to outstanding.
Before we get to those real standouts though there’s plenty along the way to catch the ears, from the slow burn of demi-ballad ‘One Touch’ that stands somewhere between Bonfire and Dokken and ‘All Your Lovin” which has a real fire that isn’t a million miles distant from two of the modern hard rock heavyweights – H.E.A.T. and Eclipse.
Without missing a beat the dial is pushed up for the furious ‘Run Fast’ then comes the masterstroke the chugging rocker ‘Heroes of the Unknown’ which has a great driving groove, great chorus and sizzling bluesy solo. It’s just the sort of song that you find mid-album here that really belies the quality of the material.
Elsewhere you’ll be more than pleased with your purchase when you hear the melodic rocker ‘Two Desperate Hearts’; the even better ‘Aiming High’ which holds the previous thought and amps it up; then there’s the metal infused ballad ”Beyond the Rust’ which works so well; and the simply wonderful fist-pumping ‘Fields of Glory.’
The album closes with ‘Devil On The Loose’ a cowbell infused story of a night out that just cements you opinions that these guys have upped the melody for release #2 and a second ballad ‘Light My Way’ which really takes off mid-song with a spectacular solo. It’s a great way to start but strangely this is one of those albums that I think could have had any running order, it really is that good.
See them live and grab the album, you won’t regret it.
