Released by: Snakefarm / Spinefarm Records
Release Date: 28th June 2019
Genre: Rock
Links: http://www.tylerbryantandtheshakedown.com/
Album Line-up:
Tyler Bryant – guitar, vocals
Caleb Crosby – drums
Noah Denney – bass, backing vocals
Graham Whitford – guitar
TRACK LISTING:
- Shock and Awe
- On to the Next
- Ride
- Shape I’m In
- Eye to Eye
- Panic Button
- Judgement Day
- Drive Me Mad
- Without You
- Trouble
- Out There
- Cry Wolf
- Couldn’t See the Fire
After the giving the Nashville based boys a 10 out of 10 for their self-titled 2017 album, for which I found to be the perfect rock album, the very best type of hard classic rock, complex and clever, I was curious to hear the latest rock shakedown …
Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown are fast becoming the hottest ticket whenever they are in town and the fruits of their labours in the recording studio are always epic and gratefully received by rockers everywhere….and ‘Truth and Lies’ does not disappoint.
With an interesting choice of an opener to this offering, ‘Shock And Awe’ is the grungy and Sabbathesque , heavy duty starter to a bombastic banquet of devilish delights. Which leads us ‘On To The Next’ tasty morsel of funky, upbeat yet still dirty sounding great grooves, with a great use of ever so slightly off tempo drumming which works really well to make this a track packed full of many hidden gems.
In fact the whole album, I feel, is that much heavier and slightly darker than anything previously from the Shakedown cats, yet still there is a nice mix of old school 70’s guitar sounds and bad blues with the vibes on ‘Ride’. And then a sprinkling of mellow, soulful, dreamy Nashville with the ‘Shape I’m In’.
The Tyler Bryant metronome of rock ‘n’ roll sways from heavy groove and stomping, grunge edge with ‘Eye to Eye’ and then swings back to tracks such as ‘Judgement Day’ superbly written and executed, this, the perfect fit for any Stephen King film, is hauntingly hip and cleverly understated but sure to get under your skin.
For those who relish a good dose of freight train, in your face rock…‘Drive Me Mad’ has this in abundance, speed drumming, speed guitar, speed vocals …which in a nutshell offers you a spanking speed freak of a speed sensation racing through your ear drums! Love it love it love it!
The last part of the album, has a good mix of tribal drumming and screaming guitar with vocals to match in ‘Without You’ which leads in to ‘Trouble’, a dusty Texan boot of a track to drown your sorrows to, mean and dirty and full of truth! I was also very taken with the folky acoustic beauty in a Zeppelin stylie of ‘Out There’ a ballad that sounds simple, but draws you in very cleverly.
‘Cry Wolf’ and ‘Couldn’t See The Fire’ are the dramatic and bombastic desserts to this mega meal of contrasts, very heavy in parts and then folksy and stunningly beautiful in between. This is the kind of album which I think will grow on you’re the more you listen to it. I have to be honest, it hasn’t grabbed me by the balls as the self-titled offering did, but maybe ask me again in a month or two of listening, and I may give it an 11 out of 10! A dirtier and darker 8 out of 10 for a shakedown showdown of rock n roll quality!
Ratings: 8/10
Written by: Francijn Suermondt
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
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