Sometimes a band or an artist shows up like from out of nowhere and just floors you flat out and you really can’t put the finger on why, you just love the damn stuff. German rockers The New Roses is such an act for me. The video for the song “Life Ain’t Easy (For A Boy With Long Hair)” got me hooked which in turn had me buying their then new album One More For The Road (2017) and I fell in love instantly. Now, these guys aren’t groundbreaking by any means – what they play is melodic Hard Rock with inserts of 80’s pop-fueled Rock, Classic Rock and even Southern Rock at times but it’s nothing new at all. So why did I fall head over heels for this lot then? Beats the Hell out of me, I just love the songs and that the pure love of rocking out shines through in everything they do.
Today I own all of their albums – Without A Trace (2013), Dead Man’s Voice (2016), One More For The Road (2017) and Nothing But Wild (2019) and it’s safe to say that the band has bettered themselves by each release. Since their last record was a complete K-O and an album I held as one of 2019’s best releases I sure had some major expectations on the new one but I also asked myself what on Earth they would do to top that one – or even equal it.
To open your album with the leading single in these days when people’s attention span is close to zero is what many bands do and with “My Kinda Crazy”, so does The New Roses. It’s also a damn good album opener as it’s a uptempo rocker, quite straight forward and punchy with a live friendly outlook. The song is based on 70’s Classic Rock but also brings on a very melodic approach. The big riff glances at AC/DC and the main-melody has me thinking of Slade at times albeit with a more 80’s twist. Direct melodies, a chest-full of hooks and a chorus that will have you humming for days sure makes for a clear winner – and that’s what the song is. A winner. Awesome.
The upbeat yet mid-paced “Playing With Fire” is a real groove-fest deluxe. The song moves towards 70’s Glam Rock but also with a slight twist of Southern Rock shows up here. The main riff strikes hard and direct with an edge, the rhythm is punchy and bouncy and every melody etches itself to the brain right off the bat. The chorus is massively catchy and impossible to remove from the brain once it’s there. Great stuff. “All I Ever Needed” is a power ballad that embraces the 80’s but it also holds a crunch with some sparky guitars. It reminds a bit of early Bon Jovi, you know when they were actually a band and a damn good one but there’s also some Classic Rock vibes involved. Smooth melodies and a huge refrain that would’ve made these guys millionaires back in the day but also singer Timmy Rough’s, well, rough voice actually. This is simply delicious.
The single “The Usual Suspects” comes with some cool contrasts. It starts out with a guitar solo but continues as a kicking Hard Rock stomper, quite heavy with an in-your-face and ballsy rhythm. There’s a strike of old-time Classic Rock woven in here and on top we get some pop-fueled melodies and a chorus with more hooks than a fisherman’s hat – catchy as can be. It’s a magnificent tune that will go down brilliantly live. The band takes a heavier and more metal-tinged turn with “Warpaint”. It’s powerful, more aggressive and massive but also more modern and American and even though it’s not a bad song and the chorus is pretty catchy, it’s not as strong as the previous tracks.
On a slower note, “Dead Of Night” keeps up the heavy rhythms and the raw-edged guitars and immense riffage. It holds a bluesier vibe with a nod towards bands like Black Stone Cherry, it’s groovy and holds a powerhouse stomp but also some big stadium-rock melodies and a hooky and direct refrain that catches on right from go. Very good. “True Love” is, as the title suggests, a ballad. It’s quite stripped down and sparse with only vocals and guitars and a held-back vocal-melody. There’s a mellow, camp-fire vibe to this but the chorus turns the tune bigger and more direct. It’s a nice breather but more importantly a magnificent ballad without any extra sugar or syrup. Love it.
Also a single, “1st Time For Everything” is a Classic Rock meets Arena Rock groover, like Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen with rawer and grittier guitars on a bouncy and stompy rhythm and big Melodic Rock melodies all over the place. It’s a lively and energetic stage-pleasing track with a very strong main melody and a sing-along chorus so catchy it hurts. A future live-killer indeed. This is pure awesomeness. “Sweet Gloria” is another live friendly Rock’n’ Roll party groover, footstomping and concise with a direct and catchy riff and hooks to die for. It’s a distinct rocker with a glueing pop-friendly refrain that grabs a hold right from the first spin. Terrific.
“The Lion In You” is a fat, rough and edgy Rock ‘n’ Roll bouncer, crunchy, raw with a hard-hitting main-riff on a solid ground of punchy drums and bass. It’s a driven track full of effective melodies and a honky-tonk piano for good measure and brings on some electrifying, big hooks in the chorus that can wake up even the sleepiest audience anywhere. Great stuff. Closing track “The Veins Of This Town” starts with some down-beat and laid-back verses and a mellow atmosphere but rises to the occasion and takes a way more upbeat turn when the Bon Jovi meets 70’s Classic Rock chorus shows up with a distinct catchiness. It’s a catchy and entrancing semi-ballad impossible to escape. Great stuff.
So, here’s the deal. The New Roses, they don’t do anything new. But what they do is taking stuff that’s been done, their influences and put their own stamp all over it. For all the “they don’t do nothing new” people, don’t bother, but for the rest of us who wants really good songs performed by really good musicians, we have a lot of to digest here – and on the rest of The New Roses’ albums. This is Rock ‘n’ Roll, plain and simple. No bull. Damn good songs that works just as well on record as live. Catchy yet not cheesy, melodic yet crunchy. In a fair world, this band would’ve made it big years ago.
8/10
More The New Roses reviews:
Tracklist:
1. My Kinda Crazy
2. Playing With Fire
3. All I Ever Needed
4. The Usual Suspects
5. Warpaint
6. Dead Of Night
7. True Love
8. 1st Time For Everything
9. Sweet Gloria
10. The Lion In You
11. The Veins Of This Town
CD & Festival reviews 