Reviews: Ronnie Romero, Electric Boys, Blackbird Angels, Formation Ritual (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Ronnie Romero - Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Third solo album from vocalist extraordinaire Ronnie Romero, is the first that he has involved with 100% of the songwriting along with drummer Andy C and guitarist Jose Rubio, he's also the co-producer of the album with Andy C. His two previous albums were covers records featuring the Rainbow, Lords Of Black, Elegant Weapons and MSG vocalist covering his favourite bands. This one is totally his own work, influenced by all the bands he covered and as well the bands he plays with.

It's a jukebox of hard rock, perfect for the expansive voice of this talented Chilean vocalist. If I was to make a comparison, I'd say that Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters, reminds me a lot of Dio's solo records, where there's heavy metal, hard rock, melodic rock, AOR, Castaway On The Moon is very RJD with the influence of a singer such as Jorn Lande can be felt on Mountain Of Light where Andy C's drumming drives the propulsive beats here and on the title track where there's a bit of Jorn's Tunger Knivur in the chorus. 

Jose Rubio and Javier Garcia trade off with riffs on the chunky Girl, Don't Listen To The Radio, bringing some blues on Crossroad (obviously) before Not Just A Nightmare brings the tempo back to hard rocking, A Distant Shore is a mega ballad with Francisco Gil's keys underneath it while Chased By Shadows brings some prog on the penultimate song. Closing with Vengeance, Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters is a great heavy rock record from one of rocks best vocalists. 8/10

Electric Boys - Grand Explosivos (Mighty Music/Target) [Rich Piva]

The other day I was picking though my new local record shop and came across a very used copy of Electric Boys 80s hit (if you can call it that) Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride. Without hesitation I overpaid for it and had it spinning within a couple hours. I loved that album then, and I still love it today. The funky hair metal hybrid with Beatles harmonies was a weird anomaly back when boys with long hair and any semblance of carrying a tune made it onto Dial MTV. 

All Lips And Hips ruled, and the psych tinged If I Had A Car was just a classic for the time. Many who know of the band from that album alone may not know they Boys have had a long career, putting out solid material in the 90s and after a break starting again in 2011. Their eighth album, Grand Explosivos, was a nice surprise to me, especially given the timing of my vinyl find. Let’s see how it fairs, without unfairly comparing it to their 1989 classic.

Right off the bat you can tell the budget for their production is a bit more realistic than back I the late 80s when these guys were probably looked at as a cash cow by their record label, but to me the minimal production value is a plus. The band maintains their quirkiness and sense of humor with tracks like When Life Treats You Funky and Better Safe Than Sober. I love the guitar work on the former track, and it could have been an early song, albeit with way more production layered on top. 

 Conny Bloom’s voice is a bit shaky but is probably a more accurate depiction of what the Boys sound like live. How about that Hey Jude Easter Egg in the track? The latter track is a fun little bouncer with some of the signature funky EB sound. Some other highlights include the funky bluesy number And The Band Played On (Part One) (reminds me of a Ringo song for some reason), the also funky riff from Karma’s Gonna Get You, the catchy bopper Learjet, and the trademark EB swagger stylings on Cozmic Jagger

This was fun! Having the Electric Boys still around is a treat and the fact that they are still putting out quality material is just a bonus. I really enjoyed Grand Explosivos. They are not all must listen tracks, but the good ones are good for sure. What more could you possibly ask for at this point in their career? 7/10

Blackbird Angels - Solsorte (Frontiers Music Srl) [Rich Piva] 

As I fall into my role of guy who reviews 80’s hard rock bands or members of said bands who put out new stuff in 2023, I continue to find that most of the material falls into two buckets. First, content that is terrible, unlistenable, and/or cringeworthy. Second, albums that I am pleasantly surprised with, that show that the guys still have the passion and licks to be able to pull off something interesting and enjoyable to listen to today and/or something that has some lasting impression on the listener. 

I am happy to say that the new Blackbird Angels album, Solsorte, falls into the latter category, and shows that the guy you will know the most from the band, Tracii Guns, still loves what he does and is not just going for a money grab when he approaches new material. Tracii is partnering with Tood Kerns, known most for his time with Slash’s band, to create a really strong straight ahead hard rock album that fans of their past work will enjoy as well as opening up to some new fans just looking for some strong kick ass rock and roll.

The band calls out bands like Bad Company, Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, and late 70’s Journey, and you can hear a bit of all of that on Solsorte. The opening track, Shut Up (You Know I Love You) is a fun straight ahead 70s rock inspired track that will catch your attention right off the bat. I am digging the vocals and Tracii is obviously killer on the song and throughout the album. Mine (All Mine) has a Zeppelin slant to it with the guitar work and overall vibe. This is one of the highlights for me, especially with the background vocals in the chorus. 

Worth The Wait reminds me of something from Tracii’s band from the Hollywood Vampires era, and this is a very good thing. Coming In Hot is a fun little track, that should have been what the new Buckcherry album should have sounded like. I get like a Bang Tango vibe too. Other highlights for me include the bluesy solo on On And On /Over And Over and Better Than This with some serious Bad Company vibes.

This was a fun, straight ahead rock release that I will spin multiple times and has staying power. Stuff on the label putting this out has been known to release stuff that is over produced to the point that it is unlistenable, but we have none of those issues on Solsorte. Tracii and Todd have put out a great album that should translate well in a live environment when they take the band out as a four piece this year. Great stuff, and happy that this was more like the new L.A. Guns album and like the new Hurricane album from a quality standpoint. 7/10

Formation Ritual - Doors To The Dead (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Apparently Doors To The Dead is "a journey through prehistoric mountains, swamps and steppe grasslands" wait there's more "it tells of long forgotten chieftains in kurgan burial mounds, human sacrifices cast into bogs, and cosmic cataclysms." This esoteric, retelling of this storyline of renewal and rebirth is brought to us by organic analog doom of Formation Ritual. Formed by Jason Tapia in 2021, the use of organs/synths is a major thing that drew me to Formation Rituals style of melodic doom, the dark folklore of the lyrics made cinematic by the collision of distored, fuzzy, reverbed guitars, Moog, Hammond and Fender Rhodes. 

He's joined by bassist Rob Black and Kelly McGovern on drums, the distorted lumbering Warning Light gets Doors To The Dead going with a long instrumental opening before Tapia's echoed vocals come in. So far so doom segueing into Sun Chariot Intro, which changes into Sun Chariot, a track that builds into yet more sludgy doom. An amalgamation of Sabbath, Baroness and bands such as Graveyard, Formation Ritual dwell in retro soundscapes, treading a cravass between ear-bleeding doom and classic proto riffs, Doors To The Dead is a fuzzed up doom record worth 38 minutes of slow headbanging. 7/10