We all now the second
album can be a very tricky thing for bands, even for seasoned veterans like the
guys in Black Star Riders. Even more so, when their debut was a breathtaking
piece of magic. However, any concern I had regarding their new wax - #2! - 'The
Killer Instinct' was quickly vanquished. Although it took a few spins
before I fully embraced what the album is about.
Since their debut was
originally meant to be a brand new Thin Lizzy album, those songs carried a
strong feel of Philip Lynott's amazing songwriting. His presence is still there
on opus number two, but the chief song smiths, Ricky Warwick and Damon Johnson,
have already started to steer the band down their own path. Perhaps that's why
it took me a little bit to warm up to 'The Killer Instinct', who knows?
All I know is, once that aha-moment appeared, this album is cementing Black
Star Riders' status as the forerunners of proper heavy rock.
One significant change
from last time is that the lyrics have a darker undertone. A sense of hope and
fighting spirit permeates throughout via the music, while rejection, failed
relationships and alienation are the main themes in the lyrics. My favourite
track 'Blindsided' covers it all where a solitary acoustic guitar leads
into some of the most heartfelt lyrics I have heard in a long time. New
four-stringer Robbie Crane's thumping bass moves along like a heart beat,
before the rest of the band joins in portraying all the different stages of
emotions you go through, when being left in the dumps by someone you hold dear.
Another of my top tracks is 'Soldierstown' which carries a strong Celtic
vibe and automatically reminds me of Thin Lizzy in the best possible way. Damon
Johnson and Scott Gorham have formed a formidable guitar duo, the kind you can
really only find in "old" 70's heavy rock bands. And that's a
heritage which needs to be continued. 'Turn In Your Arms' is another
song steeped in the lineage of Thin Lizzy รก la 'Emerald', especially the
guitars and the drums in the bridges, but also in the choruses as well.
I stated earlier that
singer Ricky Warwick and guitarist Damon Johnson, the main song writers, are
moving Black Star Riders towards a sound of their own. To me this is most
apparent in the arrangements and the structures of the songs. Incorporating all
their experience from The Almighty, Brother Cane as well as their respective
solo careers is certainly paying off. Everything mixed together forms excellent
songs that is surpassed by few. Since I have the Deluxe 2CD edition the tracks
on disc 2 are proof enough for that, where the opening two, 'Gabrielle'
and the Gary Moore-sounding 'The Reckoning Day', easily could have been
added to the regular edition. The other four songs are acoustic versions of the
album tracks 'The Killer Instinct', 'Blindsided', 'Charlie I Gotta Go'
and 'Finest Hour'. Taking on a whole new dimension this way also
highlights Warwick and Johnson's superior song writing skills.
'The Killer Instinct' is a fantastic second album by a band in top form,
who are clearly out for world domination. It's a perfect continuation to 'All
Hell Breaks Loose' and played back to back well that's all you really need,
dear waveriders.
- Swedebeast
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