The New Black: II – Better In Black

On the rationale that the maxim of "(Whatever) is the new black" must be in essence a variation on an already well worn theme, The New Black are indeed well named. Heavy on attitude and aggression, but not so in full supply of originality, TNB have one thing in their favour and that is that they execute their brand of Black Label Society meets early Motley Crue very well indeed. Chock full of snot infused, in your face riffs and shit kicking, heavy rockin' choruses, The New Black somehow manage to take the gritty Glam of say LA Guns and give it a hefty boot up the arse with an altogether heavier, brutal more modern attack.

Not quite good time party rock and not quite grinding, grooving, crunching Bluesters, II – Better In Black doesn't happily settle into a one dimensional rut, with everything from ZZ Top to Nickelback and Soundgarden to Clutch springing to mind from time to time, while never really sounding exactly like any of those bands. Fludid, the singer in this surprisingly American sounding German act, growls convincingly in the Chad Kroeger style, bringing a slightly more mainstream bent to the songs, with the slower tracks in particular having genuine crossover potential, while the heavier, riffed up rockers are from the Black Label Society school of bourbon and beer.

Not a band liable to shock you with fresh innovation, The New Black instead sound reassuringly familiar, without quite falling into the carbon copy trap. That said right from the first spin, the intensity and ferocity of the attack does give an air of authenticity that many of the "safer" Metal acts out there lack. While I doubt that The New Black will set many people's world on fire, they certainly still have enough about them to give you a nasty set of third degree burns.

Track Listing
01 Better In Black
02 The King I Was
03 Batteries & Rust
04 Downgrade
05 Into Modesty
06 Altar Boys
07 Happy Zombies
08 My Favorite Disease
09 Fading Me Out
10 When It All Ends
11 Last Chance To Throw Dirt
12 Sun Cries Moon

Added: November 15th 2011
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The New Black MySpace Page
Hits: 2065
Language: english

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