Three years in the making, with recording taking place as far apart as Ireland, Canada and the US West Coast, 10 Stories Tall finds the Dublin rockers aiming high, with an epic collection of guitar-based tunes. They certainly know how to brew up a storm and there’s little let-up from the sonic onslaught as they lay their hard rock manifesto bare.
Opener ‘Jericho’ is a fiery, incendiary tempest of a tune – all metallic guitars, bluesy chorus and impassioned vocals on the part of front-man Brian Hogan. Already enjoying heavy international radio-play, the recent single ‘Come On’ is even more raucous and intense, with hints of Lizzy’s ‘The Rocker’ in the guitar/rhythm section interplay and an infectious glam-rock chorus that faintly recalls The Sweet’s 70s anthem ‘Blockbuster’. Meanwhile, ‘Angel’ is a slow-burning, swampy affair, one part Led Zep with the swaggering tempo of Dave Edmunds’ ‘I Hear You Knocking’ and a touch of Ram Jam’s ‘Black Betty’ in the ragged guitar riffage department. Elsewhere, a pummeling bass-line sets up ‘Johnny’s Alright’, which ignites into a melodic rocker, while ‘Not The Only One’ and ‘Somebody Down’ are both solid efforts.
It’s not all four-to-the-floor and in-yer-face fare, however. Softening the predominantly crushing guitars, ‘Another Day’ boasts soaring harmonies over a mid-tempo rhythm; and on the darkly atmospheric ‘Hands A Bleedin’, Hogan’s dreamy, hypnotic vocals coming across just a tad menacing, over a martial drumbeat. Impressive.
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