Earache Records
June 2
Buckcherry are the quintessential rock outfit.
Over the years they have delivered songs such as Crazy Bitch, So Hott, Sorry, Lit Up, Check Your Head and Time Bomb, and over the course of nine previous albums have set the standard exceedingly high in their chosen genre.
And what does a band call a new album after releasing so many since their inception?
Easy, Vol 10.
Pretty much already knowing what to expect from the newest collection of songs – and salivating at the thought of some new rock bangers – I sat down to review this album with a massive smile already creasing my lips.
Say what you want about bands that stick to a familiar formula but if you like them then you pretty much know you are going to love anything new that comes out.
And Vol 10 doesn’t disappoint.
Opener This and That starts with a bit of a rhythmic handclap that sets the beat before vocalist Josh Todd declares “the freaks come out on Friday night” and off to rock town we go.
While being firmly entrenched in the rock side of the fence, This and That also has a blues-type swagger that adds even more sleaze to Buckcherry’s repertoire.
Everything we love about Buckcherry is there. Big, catchy choruses, meaty guitars and a rhythm section that lays down the law with intent.
Guitarist Stevie D claims his first solo halfway through and drips with venomous intent before Todd stumbles back into the fray and takes charge while the rest of the band keeps the pace smooth and rocking.
A wicked guitar solo introduces Good Time before Todd’s gravel-tinged vocals ease into the song and lays the platform for another up-tempo number that has more hooks than a deep sea tuna trawler.
Everything is amped up to 11 – just the way we like it – but Stevie D in particular seems to be having the time of his life. He wails and delivers cracking riff after riff without ever overstaying his welcome, which is a fine balancing act, even for a seasoned guitarist such as himself.
Bass player Kelly LeMieux leads the next track Keep On Fighting before Buckcherry kick into overdrive and fire the party back into gear.
One of Buckcherry’s best attributes is their ability to write songs that could not only appeal to a wider radio audience, but also rock the absolute fuck out without compromise. Which is possibly why they have been so enduringly successful.
Stevie D busts into overdrive on this track, and already you get the feeling Vol 10 is definitely much more of a guitar-driven album that some of its predecessors.
Turn It On swings up next, a steady kick drum pattern allowing Todd to deliver a more monotone vocal introduction before the rest of the band enter the fray and join in the fun.
This is a more measured, almost deliberate-sounding track that loses nothing in comparison to the frenetic nature of the opening few tracks.
Buckcherry proves time and time again that music follows no rules except those you create while making it and just because a band is lumbered into a specific genre it doesn’t mean they have to adhere to the set parameters that encapsulate it.
Turn It On turns into an absolute banger in the last part as everything intensifies and builds into a mammoth finale that sets up the next song Feels Like Love.
It’s off to ballad town we go, but Buckcherry do the rock ballad better than most, so I suck it up and press on.
While it is a beautifully smooth number it’s also getting late and if I want to finish this review before bedtime I will have to skip and hope for heavier pastures.
Which arrive in the form of One and Only.
Led by a haunting guitar riff with an underlying drum menace this track has an almost Western feel to it before changing tact and hitting overdrive.
There’s a nice contrast of styles going on in this track – all in the rock realm – but it is a cleverly crafted track from Buckcherry that once more shows their musical diversity.
Stevie D again sees fit to lend his magic fingers to this song, which reminds me a little of Bon Jovi’s contribution to the Young Guns franchise – except infinitely better.
Shine Your Light has an almost 80s feel to start, rocking and bopping in a tempered fashion amid a swirl of guitars.
Francis Ruiz once more controls the tempo masterfully from the drum kit, keeping things in check while chaos ensues around him.
Controlled chaos that is.
Let’s Get Wild does just that as Stevie D fires up with Ruiz laying the down the law in response.
Todd is in fine form vocally throughout Vol 10. He has always had a champion voice but on this album he also sounds like he is having an awesomely fantastic time as well.
It might just be me, who knows, but whatever it is it’s working.
An awesome mini drum solo/roll part way through induces yet another sizzling guitar solo but Buckcherry have mastered the art of playing with and for each other and that shows in spades on this album.
There are moments where each individual steals the spotlight – as there should be – but they are never at the expense of anyone else or the detriment of the song. Instead, they are there to highlight the good times and mask over the bad and do so with majestic grace.
In the hands of any other band With You would likely be a ballad but Buckcherry turn it into a chugging softer rock number that still kicks in all the right places. This is how ballads should sound I say!
Gentle piano introduces Pain and I hope this track doesn’t cause me too much of that.
Which it surprisingly doesn’t.
Beginning with just piano and Todd’s voice Pain is a soft and sultry number that doesn’t wallow too much in self-pity.
It is a brave way to ease into the end of Vol 10 but Buckcherry have never really been ones to follow convention.
Bless their cotton socks.
The song fills out solidly in parts that add a more rockier edge to proceedings and for the first time in a long time I actually finish a ballad!
Bryan Adams put out a song years ago by the name of Summer of 69 which was not only a banger but also my late Mother’s favourite ever song.
So when I saw it was last on Vol 10 I found myself a little wary – because this song more than any other reminds me of her.
I needn’t have worried, however, as Buckcherry remain loyal mostly to the original while still adding their own unique flavour.
It’s a touch more urgent than the original – as you would expect – but loses nothing in translation. I think Mum would approve…
As should any self-respecting rock listener after taking in Vol 10.
It’s more of the same from Buckcherry, but also so, so different.
*All reviews in HEAVY are just one person’s opinion of the album. We encourage honesty in reviews but just because our reviewer may or may not like/appreciate an album, that doesn’t mean their opinion is right! We encourage you to have a listen for yourself and make up your own minds!*
