Billy Duffy (The Cult). Ricky Warwick (The Almighty).
Brett Scallions (Fuel). Matt Sorum (Guns N’
Roses, Velvet Revolver). End of review…..
…okay so that wasn’t the end, but do
I REALLY need to write anything else? If at least
one of those names doesn’t make you run out
and buy this right away then you, my friend, do not
truly love hard rock music.
Joined by vocalist Billy Morrison, known for Camp
Freddy as well as working with Duffy and Sorum prior
to this, Circus Diablo is exactly what you hope it
will be. Good, solid, no frills hard rock. It’s
a little bit heavy, a little bit rock n’ roll,
and a little bit radio friendly, without being too
much of any of them, thus keeping the hope for integrity
alive.
“Loaded” opens the album in the right
way with Duffy’s wonderfully melodic guitars
and Morrison’s semi-sneering vocals (which incidentally
sound a lot like Scallions vocals in Fuel, so much
so that I had to read the bio twice to make sure he
wasn’t actually singing). This song is the first
single and if there is any justice it will launch
the album straight to the top. This is big arena anthemic,
just what the doctor ordered. The big guitar ballad
“Shine” is another great moment, effortlessly
walking the tightrope between acoustic and electric,
never being dominated by either. The band even gets
a little experimental with “Ants Invasion.”
It’s a bit heavier and they tour around a good
bit with the sound of the vocals while guitar solos
burst out of every corner. It’s not my favorite
song on the album but it provided solid evidence that
the band intend to do whatever they want. The only
sore spot here for me is the entirely stupid, “Commercial
Break,” which is exactly what you think it is
and totally disrupts the solid flow the album had
going for it prior to that point.
All in all this is one of the best bangs for your
buck so far this year. Circus Diablo is hard rock
that doesn’t stray too far from the formula
but does occasionally stray from it, defeating potential
stagnancy. It sounds like Fuel, it sounds like late
Guns N’ Roses, it sounds like Velvet Revolver,
and it sounds like The Cult. Viva Los Diablos!
Key Tracks: “Loaded,” “Shine”
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
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