The Train has arrived….. and it’s time to get on….doors are closing.
From the opening riff of the title track ‘Subway to the Stars’ your getting low heavy groove ridden guitar tones that sets the mood and makes a perfect thick foundation for the album. Rob De Luca’s Bass is nicely placed in the mix and adds Alot of …can I say BALLS to the already heavy guitar sound. Ziv Shalev’s soloing is like silk on tracks like ‘Sound of Speed’ and ‘Dead Air’.
’29th of Feb’ picks up the pace as the second track and gets you in for the sing along chorus that i see will be a live favorite once the boys hit the road. By track 5 your kicked into overdrive with ‘Grand Scam’ showing that their NYC Street Metal attitude is still very much in their blood. Rik De Luca’s drumming really holds everything in place beautifully as he shows his diverse style throughout tracks like ‘Grand Scam’ with a more punk driven attack to a solid rock approach on tracks like ‘Cut Through’.
‘More Wolf than Lamb’ is a standout track and kicks in with a nice heavy groove before Ray West lays his dreamy vocals through the verses before hitting harder in the chorus. This song demands to be played loud…and the louder the better. The Bass just drips off this song and I can see this will be another great live track to bang your head to.
‘Little Serpentina’ with its Alternative 90s style that would have fitted right in with anything that was popular back when Pearl Jam ruled the airwaves. It definitely sets a different feel to the album and works like a gem among the more heavy tracks. ‘Antisocial Butterfly’ kicks things back up to pace with a Beatles feel through the second half of the chorus that adds just another flavor to an album that’s already showing alot of diversity…..but wait it doesn’t stop there..
‘Gutter Rhymes for Valentine’s’ takes you in another direction altogether with its mid tempo almost poppy feel that certainly has a British rock feel to it. This is showing a band that is happy to move around styles …highlighting their influences and showing just how well thay can do it and make it sound effortless.
Finally we end with a ‘Solitaire’, a great Acoustic based song that is perfect for those nights around the fire singing along with your friends over a few cold beers. Ray West shows his clean vocals on this ballad and has proved throughout the album that his voice has lasted the test of time unlike so many of his peers from the golden age of 80’s/90’s heavy rock.
All in all this Album CRANKS and is so colourful and diverse but also keeping it’s New York Street Metal vibe cemented firmly in place. This is Spread Eagle as we know them but I feel I got so much more this time around and already looking forward to the next album.
