RETRACT THE ACCOLADE - Retract The Accolade CD-EP

A band from the North East of Scotland who've been around a few years but this is, to all intents and purposes, their debut release, unleashed on an unsuspecting public – unleashed, being the appropriate word, for this has more bite than a pack of rabid dogs!!! Things open with “You Best Hold Your Tongue” and right from the start we're in the presence of a rock band – a band that rocks – a band that play metal music with a freshness that is inspiring and an approach that takes its influences from three decades of rock and comes up with something that appeals to lovers of all three. First you hear bird tweets – then you hear a car driving off – then you hear a distant guitar storm coming – then a drum crash heralds deep bass, a huge, muscular heavy duty guitar riff, as the drums crunch down and, with a hollered “c'mon”, the singer announces his arrival. As the titanium strength riffs drive forth, the drums hammer down as the vocalist really sings the song yet with the force and effect of the sort of contemporary death metal singers, as a throaty roar becomes vocal sensation, reminding me of a vocalist I just can't quite conjure the name of. Either way, the song just burns as the guitars are right upfront and deliver this hurricane of hooks, burning amid rock rhythms that are simply immense, as the song then goes into a chorus that's so brief yet so effective, before the erupting vocalising returns, the guitar riffing cycles round your head, the rhythm section thunders and the whole thing moves inexorably towards another sea of choruses, the buzz-saw riffs now hooked in your head to unbelievable degree. It ends abruptly, and just as abruptly, so “You Ain't All That” begins – this time faster riffing fury, faster rhythmic rifle-fire and faster driving drumming, all tearing up the highway as the hollering vocal fits like a glove, delivering the song with clarity, passion, power and unbridled force, the extra harmonies from the band on the chorus, a welcome extra layer to the song providing depth and a hook that proves absolutely irresistible, almost like Metallica doing “the Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” in a blitz of modern metal mayehm, and just one sensation of a song that has got the lot – firepower, commercial addiction, the raw roar of rock and the blazing passion of a metal band that can truly deliver the goods. “Shake It Loose” continues the hurricane, this time a tad slower than before, more akin to the opener in pace, but that still means it's one path to glory drenched in searing heat guitars, riffing and leads that burn holes in your skull, as the song and its ensuing hooks sit so effortlessly above the guitar hooks, the dramatic drumming and that immense, punishing bass river that provides the foundations for a rolling slice of hollering metal with an all too rare commercial potential at its heart. A red hot guitar lead breaks out to give us some Classic Rock soloing over the driving thunder down below, before the track rolls to a guitar-heat finale. The EP ends with the wonderfully named “Timpson Can't Scream Like Maylene's Dallas Taylor” and this is arguably the closest they get in terms of pace, dynamics and dramatics to modern hardcore, but even so they infuse it with an almost emo-laced hook as still those blazing guitar riffs underpin and drive the guttural but superbly sung vocals as the drums and bass thrash and burn to spur the whole thing on. The arrangements and production are stunning, the songs full of lyrical imagery that you can hear throughout and just classic rock compositions wrapped in a modern sounding coat of many colours, topped with an addictive appeal that's guaranteed to make you want to play them long, loud and often. It's a commanding performance from the band and one faultless gem of an EP – molten rock has rarely sounded so hot!!!

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