Shylock: Walking Tall

If ever there was a doubt as to what a prime slice of Germanic melodic hard rock sounds like, then puff your chest out and start Walking Tall with this slick sixth offering from Shylock. Think Bonfire, think Scorpions, think Mad Max, think German melodic hard rock, think Shylock. Crunching guitars, powerful vocals and sing along choruses that strike you on the first time of asking.

Yes, you've doubtless heard it all before, but to be fair to Shylock main-men Matthias Schenk (vocals) and Johannes Amrhein (guitars), they do it very well and in a manner that'll keep you entertained and smiling from ear to ear. Joining the pair this time round are the returning Achim Thiergartner behind the kit and newbie bassist Bernhard Schwingenstein, who both acquit themselves very well indeed. In fact there's an argument that without a smoothly operating engine room this type of bouncing, grinding, grooving rock misses the point. It is a theory given credence here, as every snare punch and bass beating drives the music forward allowing Amrhein free reign to mix staccato bursts, refined riffs and of course searing solos at will, creating maximum impact. Add to that the Klaus Meine meets Michael Voss vocals of Schenk and there was never any doubt that Shylock would serve up another helping of exactly what their long-standing fans are looking for.

No one here is pretending that Shylock are reinventing the wheel, but when the groovin' "She Came Along My Way" has you punching the air in delight, the chanting "Walking Tall" finds you bellowing along at the top of your voice and "Sliding Through Emotions" uses a flanged riff to change the focus without losing momentum, then why would you even want to make out that Walking Tall is anything other than it is. Big dumb fun that gets a party started - and keeps it rockin'! Obviously there's also a power-ballad on board in the shape of the classy, if expected "Away From Here", but thankfully for its other twelve tracks Shylock are happy to make Walking Tall strut, thump and hit hard. All three being things they do extremely well.

Walking Tall and staying proud Shylock have delivered another solid album that does exactly what you'd hoped for from them!

Track Listing
1. Walking Tall
2. Rock DNA
3. I Can't Wait Now
4. Bridges
5. What It Takes
6. Sad To Know
7. Sliding Through Emotions
8. Taken It Too Far
9. She Came Along My Way
10. Right Now Or Never
11. Away From Here
12. Touch My Soul
13. Anything

Added: January 19th 2013
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Shylock Online
Hits: 2313
Language: english

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