The Wayward Sons are a new English hard rock band featuring Toby Jebson (vocals & rhythm guitar) Sam Wood (guitar) Nic Wastell (bass guitar) Phil Martini (drums) and Dave Kemp (keys). In spite of Ghosts Of Yet To Come being the debut release for the Wayward Sons, the individual members of the band bring plenty of experience to the table having played in bands such as Little Angel, Gun, and Spears Of Destiny among others. Guitarist and lead vocalist, Jepson, steps out from behind the producer’s chair to front this hard rock outfit having worked with such bands as Saxon, Toseland and Fastway. The Wayward Sons take us on a journey back in time to the 70’s and 80’s while keeping one foot firmly planted in the present.
The opening track “Alive” reintroduces us to the vocals of Jepson while the other members of the band lay down a vintage hard rocking groove that satisfies the most base of urges. “Until The End” provides us with straight ahead hard rock song. While on “Ghost” we see the band start to hit its straps with the guitars of Jepson and Wood working in unison while the rest of the band combines to deliver a tightly syncopated beat. “Give It Away” takes us back to the 80’s highlighting the vocals of Jepson as he extends his range almost to breaking point.
“Crush” sees the band continue to build on the momentum combining the melodic verse with a chorus driven by Martini and bass player Wastell locking in together to provide a good balance between melody and precision. The addition of female backing vocals on the Thin Lizzy like, “Be Still” and “Small Talk”, provides an excellent contrast to an album dominated by the powerful voice of Toby Jepson. “Small Talk” while being the shortest song on the album has the band firing on all cylinders and for me is the best song on the album. If listening to this while driving you would have the window down and keep your eye on your speed as this song would have you singing loudly and planting your foot to the floor.
If you are looking to add to your hard rock collection of bands such as AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Little Angels, while dragging yourself kicking and screaming into the modern era then this album would be a welcome addition to your collection.
