By Andrew Bansal
With a stellar self-titled debut full-length release and tremendous live performances appearing on high-profile national and international tours, Austin, Texas hard rock band Scorpion Child were the breakthrough artists in the world of heavy music in the year 2013, but then disappeared to regroup and rebuild, and much to the delight of their newfound fanbase of 2013, they have now returned with a revamped lineup and a brand new LP ‘Acid Roulette’, slated for release throughout the U.S, U.K. and Europe on June 10th 2016 via Nuclear Blast. Blending blues and psychedelia into their brand of hard rock on the tunes that decorated their debut effort, Scorpion Child recreated the classic ’70s vibe with greater conviction and power than their peers, and brought forth a highly discernible degree of fresh exuberance. They were certainly missed for the last two years. Much was expected from their new album, and it remained to be seen whether they’re still worthy of being the frontrunners in the new breed of young bands waving the classic hard rock flag.
With 13 tracks spanning more than 56 minutes, Scorpion Child have gone all out on ‘Acid Roulette’ and have left no stone unturned in expressing their musicality in a manner they didn’t quite do on the debut LP. The opener ‘She Sings, I Kill’ sets the tone straightaway, as frontman Aryn Jonathan Black showcases that he still has that classic yet unique hard rock singing voice that formed indelible first impressions on one and all through the band’s previous album cycle. The riffs and rhythm section play a prominent role in this opening track, as would be expected from any hard rock tune, but the organs and keyboards combine excellently with the vocals, and this is an added quality of Scorpion Child much more evident on this album than ever before. This laid-back, cruising mid-tempo tune gives way to the more energetic and groovy ‘Reaper’s Danse’, and the band’s musical versatility is already evident as they hold their own on this one too.
The album moves from strength to strength, with songs demonstrating expert songwriting and fully brought to life by great performances and apt production. ‘My Woman In Black’ rocks the listeners’ socks off with instantly enjoyable vocals, lyrics and riffs, and its perfect transitions through varying tempo and patterns. The title track ‘Acid Roulette’ slows things down but presents the band’s bluesy, psychedelic, old-school ’70s prog tendencies, and goes through a solid buildup before it explodes in its latter half. The rest of the LP is a mix of lively rockers such as ‘Winter Side Of Deranged’, ‘Twilight Coven’, ‘Moon Tension’ and ‘Tower Grove’ and chilled-out Zeppelin-esque jams like ‘Blind Man’s Shine’, ‘Might Be Your Man’ and ‘Addictions’, along with the very expressive power ballad ‘Survives’.
This delightful slab of modern-day classic hard rock has an unmistakable flow to it and even though some songs will eventually become more popular than others, it is hard to pick any favorites or highlights because the album as a whole is listenable from start to finish and all 13 tracks make a collective impact. There is undeniably a similar musical and lyrical theme throughout, which is what links these songs together, but each song has its identity and is centered around a riff or skeletal part that’s distinct from that of every other song. Scorpion Child are often compared to the likes of Led Zeppelin and they themselves would probably not shy away from accepting as much, but more than in the music itself, the Zeppelin inspiration shows in the fact that this Scorpion Child effort has the songs that will stand out and find themselves in constant rotation, but at the same time very much caters to fans of album-oriented rock.
In terms of younger bands and the modern-day scene, while there is quite the abundance of stoner doom tinged heavy music as well as extreme metal and traditional heavy metal, pure classic hard rock is not quite as prominent, and is certainly not being carried forward in a way that would find appreciation in both the underground and the mainstream. Scorpion Child have shown in the past that they’re the one band capable of rectifying this predicament, and with ‘Acid Roulette’, they’re about to stamp their authority as the present-day leaders of this genre. This album is nothing less than a gem waiting to be unearthed and discovered.
Rating: 9/10
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Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: June 10th 2016
Track Listing:
01. She Sings, I Kill
02. Reaper’s Danse
03. My Woman In Black
04. Acid Roulette
05. Winter Side Of Deranged
06. Séance
07. Twilight Coven
08. Survives
09. Blind Man’s Shine
10. Moon Tension
11. Tower Grove
12. I Might Be Your Man
13. Addictions
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