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Warner Drive: Till The Wheels Fall Off
Warner Drive: Till The Wheels Fall Off
Melodic Hard Rock
5.0/5.0
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Dead End Exit Records
Review: Craig Hartranft
Added: 21.07.2017
How does a Hollywood band end up on a Swedish record label with Swedish distribution and then have promotion from a German public relations joint? Beats me. But LA's Warner Drive may be the best band I've never heard of this year. Maybe for you too. But Warner Drive has been around the block in the last ten plus years. They've released three albums since 2006, and toured around the world, sharing the stage with heavyweight acts like CKY, The Plain White T's, Ratt, Steel Panther, Queen, and Twisted Sister, too name a mere few. Till The Wheels Fall Off is their latest album and first for Sweden's Dead End Exit Records.
Warner Drive
With the first spin of the album I was immediately hooked by Warner Drive's catchy rock sound, exceptional songwriting, and relentless energy. Suffice to say, the band begins with a classic melodic hard rock foundation, then throws in dash of punk quickness and a dose of alt/indie energy. Melody and harmony are at a premium whether by twin guitars or vocal arrangements. As for the voice of the band, Jonny Law is an exceptional vocalist, singing melodic and clean yet with an assertive style. The rhythm section joins the mix, powering the tunes with catchy groove. But what may be special sauce secret ingredient is the terrific songwriting. Compositionally, the arrangements weave all those aforementioned elements with masterful ease. Lyrically, the songs are cogent, coherent, clever and, sometimes, down right hilarious.
Moving on to the songs, here's some highlights. You'll get that punk rock vibe at the start from My Devotion and Don't Give Up. The latter song displays Warner Drive's knack for storytelling, and the song sounds much like a song from Eighties punk band The Alarm. Another fine storytelling tune is Too Late For Sorry, kind of a break up song for this dysfunctional age. Think a story written by a 21st century Bruce Springsteen who has spent most of his youth dosing Ambien. But the hooks in the groove, riffs and chorus are killer.
Then Warner Drive goes go deeper into the crazy girlfriend motif with Drop Dead Gorgeous (Cuz you think you're drop dead gorgeous, So self important You're even crazier, Outside the bed), Karma's A Bitch (I used to love you, But now I know you, Karma's a bitch, And so are you), and LA Pyscho Chic (LA Psycho chic (woh), I'm tired of your shit (woh), Super sexy maniac, Why don't you just get off my back). You've got to dig the band's tongue-in-chick dark and sarcastic humor.
Yet, I'm saving the best song for last: Anthem Of The Douche. This song totally sells this album. It has the all the best parts that makes Warner Drive music: melody and groove, indie freedom, punk energy, and terrific humorous storytelling. Yet you have to listen till the end, where the song's chorus takes unexpected, look in the mirror, twist: This is the anthem for the guy you hated, the overrated, This is the anthem of our lives. Enjoy the video below.
Nuff said. Warner Drive's Till The Wheels Fall is some fandamntastic melodic hard rock with a punk edge and a sense of humor. Put Till The Wheels Fall on your short list of the best rock albums of 2017. Easily recommended.
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
The Bottom Line
Warner Drive's Till The Wheels Fall is some fandamntastic melodic hard rock with a punk edge and a sense of humor. Put Till The Wheels Fall on your short list of the best rock albums of 2017. Easily recommended.
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