Album Review: Brazen Bull - Brazen Bull
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
The juggernaut that is the new wave of classic British rock shows little sign of slowing down and if the amount of music coming at us now is anything to go by, 2021 should be another good year. Recent additions to the genre are Brazen Bull, who formed in 2018. Their self-titled debut album is 38 minutes of confidently played rock and the only real concern is whether it is good enough to rise above the mass of other bands all striving to get noticed.
The East Anglian five-piece Kick off the album with a bang, the first single ‘Angel’s Nails’, which immediately piques the interest with its fiery riff and thumping pace. It’s the first introduction to vocalist Alex Martinez, and it’s a good introduction, for Alex has a decent set of pipes on him. Interestingly, the one band that kept coming to mind during my first listen to the album was Green Day, possibly because Martinez’s style echoes Billie Joe Armstrong. And whilst there are far more face-melting guitar solos on ‘Brazen Bull’ than supplied by the post-rock Californians, ‘In the Interest of Humanity’ and ‘Stray Wolf’ both particularly reminiscent of the American idiots.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a hard rock album without some cowbell, and that is resolved on second single ‘Pact in Blood’, which is a pleasing rocker which starts off as a ballad before kicking out the jams and pushing the riffs front and centre. There’s some solid guitar work throughout the album, and both Hayden Hornsby and Charlie Allen can take great credit for their performances.
It would stretch it to say that the band are a heavy metal band, but they certainly can bring the heavy. ‘Burn the Ships’ is one example of this, with a pounding, fast paced and driven feel that doesn’t slow throughout. There is plenty of the old school included in their sound but there is also a decent contemporary feel to their music. The closing song is possibly the best track on the album. ‘The Boy and the Dancer’ changes tempo several times and includes a small passage of Iron Maiden-esque chug and gallop which they do well.
Like many in the genre, this album has promise. It’s well played and benefits from a decent production. Whether it has the necessary outstanding elements to give it that real leg up is debatable. It doesn’t have the sheer class of bands like Those Damn Crows but it’s by no means a poor album and it would be interesting to see how these guys deliver in the live arena. Maybe one day we can find out.
