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Famous Underground: Famous Underground
Famous Underground 2013 Debut Album Review

Famous Underground: Famous Underground

(Melodic) Heavy Rock/Metal
4.0/5.0

Famous Underground is the new band created vocalist Nicholas Walsh, formerly front man of the band Slik Toxik. This Canadian band had some success in the early Nineties receiving a Juno Award in 1993 for their full length debut Doin' The Nasty. The band expired several years later thank to the suffocating grip of grunge. Now Walsh, teaming with long time bass player Laurie-Anne Green, return to their hard rock roots in this self-titled debut.

Famous Underground Band Photo

Famous Underground: in a dark alley.

The album could be characterized as late Eighties, early Nineties, hard rock, still picking up on the late LA sleaze side of things, with melody and a definite metal edge. Famous Underground may be a cue from current hard rock and metal of the last decade with this darker heavier vibe. You catch much of this Necropolis (see video below) and Mommy Is a Junkie by example.

Yet, Famous Underground doesn't stray far from those early roots. You hear this in the anthem On Broken Wings and the ballad Forever and Day which reach for that large arena rock sound. Other rockers do same like the speedy and catchy Bullet Train, the heavy and bittersweet Love Stands Still, and the opening Wasteland, which mimics, lightly, a GnR sound. Throughout Walsh is steady, clearly still having the vocal chops to carry every song. The album also includes two bonus tracks: an unplugged version of Dead Weight, which is actually better than the original, and alternate version of On Broken Wings, which is basically Walsh with acoustic guitar. All in all, this debut finds Famous Underground resurrecting old school hard rock with some new school vibe. Recommended.

Famous Underground - Necropolis Official Video



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In Short

With Famous Underground, vocalist Nicholas Walsh (ex-Slik Toxik) revives his late Eighties hard rock roots with a new vigor and some modern heaviness on their debut album.

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