I must admit I’d not heard of Dogface until this album dropped on the desk. It’s a shame as it’s great and I will certainly be backtracking to their 2000 debut, ‘Dogface Unleashed’ and the follow ups ‘In Control’ and the 2013 comeback ‘Back On The Streets.’ There’s also a ‘Dogface Releashed’ from 2018 but that was just a remastered and remixed version of the ‘Dogface Unleashed.’ at that point the band appeared to split but here we are again with a compilation of the best of those first three releases in ‘From the end to the beginning.’
Sonically the band have their roots in 70’s and 80’s Hard Rock and when you listen bands like Thin Lizzy spring to mind, but also the Hammond brings with it echoes of Deep Purple and Rainbow. If you add a bit more Blues to that mix you’d have a fair approximation of the starting point.
Best here are tracks like opener ‘Don’t’ which has a great crawling 80’s almost Whitesnakey vibe; ‘Not Wanted’ which has a great thrusting beat and Rainbow-like soaring refrain. But there’s plenty more: ‘A Single Reason’ is some damn fine Classic Rock and the Bluesy ‘I Will Be There’ simply smoulders.
My favourites though might just be the kitchen sink groove and Hammond break of ‘Right Between Your Lies’ and the very Lizzy ‘I Don’t Care’. Don’t get me wrong though, there’s nothing here that doesn’t deserve your attention.
Timeless quality Hard Rock.
