Band: Black River
Title: Black’n’Roll
Label: Mystic Production
Distribution: Suburban
Release date: April 2nd 2010
Review: CD

First of all: the title Black’n’Roll has nothing to do with ‘Black’ (Metal) whatsoever, to avoid any further possible misunderstanding…
Black’n’Roll is the second album by Polish formation Black River, with ex-Geisha Goner / Neolithic / Rootwater / Testor-vocalist Maciek Taff. The album, which lasts for 41:24 minutes, opens with Barf Bag, an up-tempo Death Rock song with a powerful groove and a sleazy vibe. It sets the tone for a variety on rocking and no-nonsense beer-and-bitches hymns with a bad-ass attitude. The combination of eighties Rock, up-tempo Groove, pounding Death Rock, bluesy and southern elements, and even high-school Punk (listen to the energetic title track), is very amusing, and I don’t mean this cynically. The album sort of refreshes, it is not taken all too serious, and that’s just fine. A few moments the band focuses on melody, and they do it rather well, yet the overall approach is dirty, and getting dirty might be fun, not?
For fans of, let’s say, Danzig, The Cult, even Pentagram and Bludwulf.

77/100

Ivan Tibos.