| CD REVIEW Steadlür |
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Band: Steadlür This Glam Rock act hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and has been around for some 4 years now. Formed by brothers Philip (lead vocals, guitar) and Dallas Steadlür (drums), who see Guns N Roses, Motley Crüe, Foo Fighters, and Kiss as their prime influences, but have also intensively listened to the likes of Skid Row, Offspring, Weezer, to name but a few! In the short time since their foundation, they’ve fist fought their way through redneck crowds in their home State, lived out of cars (and rich girlfriend’s pocketbooks), and seen several band members come and go, but drew the lottery when Tommy (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Daniel (bass, backing vocals) joined up (these new guys gladly adopted the Steadlür name to give evidence of the “family” feeling in the band). If indeed the band’s rise to their current status has been a difficult one, it’s their own fault, having chosen for a style which has long been supplanted by numerous new ones, Glam Rock being something of the past in Atlanta! Somehow, it must’ve set the band apart enough to draw the attention of record label mogols Roadrunner. The album’s opening ttracks are playfully simple but efficient in build-up and songwritership! The band’s youth oozes from their vocals though (I mean, they dó sound like 16-17 year-olds!), and the topics they use in their songs have to do a lot with the stuff the guys have come across in their lives. Makes one wonder when listening to “My Mom Hates Me”, but I suppose that might be a playful interpretation of reality! Anyway, in the second part of the album the guys frequently make things heavier, downtuning the rhythm guitar in “Whisky And Women”, playing shards of darker distorted guitar during “Time”, and giving a Metal touch to “Barely Breathing” (which, as does the ensuing “Livin’ A Lie”, also contains some truly pounding bass lines). To close the 12-track album, the band however chose for the semi-acoustic ballad “Change”. Another semi-ballad (with the addition of orchestration and piano), but then in the middle of the album, is the beautiful “Angel (On The Wrong Side Of Town)”…which still has a degree of “heavieness” thanks to the guitar riffs and part of the vocal approach. As per usual with Roadrunner, the album was released earlier already in America, meaning the guys already have a video out for their first single Bumpin’, and have already a first leg of a US tour (of which a couple of dates remain at this time of writing) in support of the album behind ‘em! At myspace.com/steadlur you can hear/view “Bumpin’”, and listen to album opening “Poison” (somewhat AC/DC geared, but up-tempo), “Whisky And Women”, and “Time”. You’ll agree what the youngsters play is Goodtime Hard Rock (‘n’ Roll) with the occasional Metal touch, the kind of stuff which will eventually get the room moving at many a gig…get the party goin’, so to say! You’ll probably also agree there’s still room for improvement…and luckily the guys are still in their first youth! Let’s hope their label is willing to hold on to ‘em long enough to allow the band to evolve into a mean Rockin’ machine. 80/100 Tony. |