A Hard Rock band from India. Right off the bat it caught my interest. It’s funny, back in the day when I was a kid it’s was only American and English bands that had any major success. Maybe German bands too. Of course I know of Scandinavian bands and even Japanese bands but none of them became that much noticed world-wide. Today it’s a different story and Hard Rock bands pops up from all over the world but Girish & The Chronicles is the first Indian Hard Rock act I have ever heard of. At least, I think so. It became even more interesting when it stood clear that they played edgy, raw and energetic yet melodic Hard Rock with a clear nod towards the 80’s.
The band – Girish Pradhan – vocals/guitars, Yogesh Pradhan – bass/keyboards/producer, Suraj Tikhatri A.K.A Suraz Sun – lead guitar and Nagen Mongrati A.K.A Nagen Nags – drums – was formed back in 2009 and has two releases (Back On Earth, 2014 and Rock The Highway, 2020) prior to this record, their first for Frontiers. The band has opened for a variety of bands like alternative rockers Hoobastank, Poets Of The Fall and thrashers Destruction and singer Girish is also a member of the band Firstbone which also features bassist James Lomenzo (White Lion, Pride & Glory, Megadeth) and Chris Adler (Lamb Of God).
“Primeval Desire” that opens the album – the latest single – is an in-your-face gut-puncher, uptempo, raw and energetic. It’s a rapid meld of Hard Rock and Metal and has one foot in the edgier neighbourhoods of Sunset Strip and the backstreets of 80’s Metal. It might not be a hit-single but it sure lets us know where they’re coming from and where they’re going – and it’s a really good song too. “Children Of The Night” keeps up the edgy route albeit with a groovier rhythm and a beefy stomp with a striking riff. It’s not as Metal as the opener and leans towards early 90’s Arena Rock with some killer hooks, fine melodies and a splendid refrain. Good stuff.
More aggressive and hard-hitting, “I’m Not The Devil” speeds up the tempo and rages on with a thunderous drums, a pumping bass and razor-sharp guitars. It’s a blaster fueled with energy, metal-edges and a robust outlook. It’s kicking and screaming but it’s not without melodies and the chorus do etches itself to the brain. Good. Leading single “Love’s Damnation” is a slower rocker and throws an eye to the Melodic Rock side of Hard Rock. That said, it holds a meaty and fat rhythm, some crunchy riffing and no cheese at all. A little late 80’s Aerosmith here, some Whitesnake there and a spice of Def Leppard but with a crunch. A good, juicy song with a massive chorus. Awesome stuff.
“Clearing The Blur” is a dirty, gritty and rhythmic little fekker that brings on a hard-hitting and punchy rhythm with fierce guitars and attitude. That said, the verses are a little held back with some fine-tuned key-work and the melodies are very prominent with a direct hook and Melodic Rock touches and the whole mix works like a charm. Very good. “Lover’s Train” is also in said vein with some ballad-laden verses in a lower key which takes the song into a more Arena Rock chorus. It holds a rhythmic punch all over though and the chorus hook is direct and infectious. Good one.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Jack” is a sleazy, edgy and straight-forward rocker with with some rowdy, rootsy guitars and a chuggy riff. The title suggests an AC/DC vibe but there’s none. There are some Extreme influenced funk vibes going on here and there but the song as a whole is just a live-friendly Hard Rock cruncher. Unfortunately the song is a bit forgettable, especially the refrain fails to deliver any catchy hooks. The title-track opens with a toned down and calm intro which paves way for an anthemic, balls-out Arena Rock stomper. The verses might be a bit held-back albeit with a stompy rhythm but the chorus is all about having a crowd joining in. It’s a mid-tempo tune that’s both heavy and melodic with some catchy melodies all over. Very good indeed.
“Shamans Of Time” takes the band into a more spacey atmosphere. It’s a slower song yet not quite a ballad, with some floating, dreamy melody arrangements but it also sports some rough riffage and a heavy rhythm. The tune looks back to the early 90’s when the melodic Hard Rock genre was morphing into the alternative side and both throws a nod towards some Led Zeppelin 70’s twists and blending bands like Skid Row and Steelheart with bands like Blind Melon and Mother Love Bone. Acoustic guitars blends with distorted electric ones, it flirts with progressive arrangements, it’s both mellow and rough-edged and holds a captivating chorus. A damn good number.
“Heaven’s Crying” is a full-on Heavy Metal power ballad that’s carried by a heavy foundation with some raunchy guitars, a solid rhythm mixed with smoother vocal-melodies and a slicker outlook. At six minutes, it’s hardly the cheesy 1989 power ballad we’re talking about here. It holds different layers of stuff going from darker atmospheres to synth strings – and the chorus is massive. Great. GATC closes the album on a heavier note with “Rock N’ Roll Fever” where they’re guested by Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler and ex- Dio guitarist Rowan Robertson for a heavy, fast and thrashy powerhouse. This a no bull, aggressive and kicking metal-blaster doing its best to rip your head off. While it feels good to let off some steam, the song is quite ordinary and feels like a throw-away. Not bad but it doesn’t really stick either.
As a whole, GATC has released a really good album here. Where they don’t do anything new at all it feels really fresh and vital with a retro record that don’t indulge in copying some genre or specific band, they just play rough and edgy Hard Rock, bang in your face and where the influences doesn’t shine through too much, even though Girish himself comes across as the bastard child of Sebastian Bach and David Coverdale vocally. That said, Skid Row keeps popping up in my head when I listen but by no means in a copy-cat way. It’s a driven record made for the stage with attitude and passion and a bunch of really good songs and an album that I enjoy listen to a lot.
7/10
Tracklist:
1. Primeval Desire
2. Children Of The Night
3. I’m Not The Devil
4. Love’s Damnation
5. Clearing The Blur
6. Lovers’ Train
7. Rock And Roll Jack
8. Hail To The Heroes (intro)
9. Hail To The Heroes
10, Shamans Of Time
11. Heaven’s Crying
12. Rock N’ Roll Fever
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