By Francisco Zamudio
Living legend Phil Campbell attempts to pass on the mantle of rock n’ roll to his sons, giving them a taste of what daddy dearest has helped forge through his amazing decades as the great Motörhead shredder. Music heals and feels right for Phil and his guitar work to thankfully shine on this, their debut record ‘The Age of Absurdity’, a follow-up to their 2016 self-titled EP. Phil has written some great music here and still maintains the feel after all these years. Although they decided to go a more commercial route here with the style of rock they produced, it can still have a spot on your playlist for a go-around. Phil’s guitar work is outstanding, no surprise there. Sons Todd (guitar), Dane (drums) and Tyla (bass) have provided a good back up to carry this out, as well as carry the Campbell name.
Tunes like ‘Welcome to Hell’ don’t lack in commercial sound to compete with the likes of modern rock like your Buckcherrys and Velvet Revolvers and Stone Sours. Thankfully, faster upbeat songs like ‘Gypsy Kiss’ and the short-fused ‘Drop the Needle’ help pick up the slack and drive heavily, towing the line.
In the vocal department, there is no shortage of cookie cutter vocalists who fall by the wayside with an unmemorable style and forgettable lyrics. While we’ll never have another Lemmy, many of us who are Phil Campbell fans are used to or prefer the heavy and abrasive vocal style. Today’s modern rock fan will be pleased with the approach by the non-Campbell son Neil Starr, formerly of the defunct Welsh group, Attack! Attack! (not to be confused with the American Metalcore group of the same name). His style makes it palatable to those listeners who can’t do heavy.
What’s demonstrated here will cause an unfavorable divide. The music leaves something more to be desired. Just as the loss of Lemmy left a hole only rock n’ roll can fill. Although the album offers something for any rock fan, I hope they can move past this and establish a more stable and direct approach for Phil to continue to shine. It’s unfortunate but had this been an instrumental solo album, it’d possibly influence me more to swig whiskey and flick cigarettes.
Rating: 7.5/10
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Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: January 26 2018
Track Listing:
01. Ringleader (4:04)
02. Freak Show (3:41)
03. Skin and Bones (3:49)
04. Gypsy Kiss (2:22)
05. Welcome To Hell (3:06)
06. Dark Days (4:44)
07. Dropping The Needle (1:50)
08. Step Into The Fire (3:32)
09. Get On Your Knees (3:28)
10. High Rule (3:55)
11. Into The Dark (6:37)
Total Duration: 41:08
Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram