If you had a chance to hear the debut EP Devil Man from multicultural blues rock outfit Blues Pills in late 2013, you just knew that this band was capable of great things in the years to come. Here we are less than a year later and the band is unleashing their self-titled full length debut for Nuclear Blast Records, and folks, it's a stellar set of '70s inspired bluesy hard rock for anyone into vintage sounds. With two updated versions of songs off the initial EP, plus 8 new tunes, Blues Pills is a heavy blues rock feast that warrants your immediate attention.
Comprised of the Swedish-French-American contingent of Elin Larsson (vocals), Dorian Sorriaux (guitars), Zack Anderson (drums), and Cory Berry (drums), Blues Pills take their influence from the great bands of the late '60/early '70s like original Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Humble Pie, and Jimi Hendrix, and have created a swirling, emotional, heavy hitting sound on their brilliant full length debut. With stunning artwork courtesy of Marijke Koger-Dunham (The Beatles, George Harrison, Eric Clapton) and production by Don Alsterberg (Graveyard), this album already has a few things going for it before you even start listening to the amazing grooves contained within the songs. For starters, it's hard to believe just how young this band is (most of them are barely out of their teens), with a sophistication dripping throughout the album that screams of a group with decades more experience than they actually have. "High Class Woman" kicks things off with searing guitar licks and Larsson's soaring, stunning vocal delivery. It's a heavy, highly memorable song that is sure to become an instant classic for the band, and seems magically lifted from 1969. The smoldering "Ain't No Change" follows, a moody, bubbling slice of blues rock that falls somewhere between The Allman Bothers Band and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, with Sorriaux's guitar solos slashing & stinging, the bass & drum rhythms completely locked in yet loose, and Larsson just alluring in her delivery.
Heavy riffs drenched in wah-wah and powerful rhythms drive the energetic "Jupiter", a real standout song here that sees Larsson's shrieking to the heavens like a young Janis Joplin. She smolders like Beth Hart on the bluesy "Black Smoke" as well as the intoxicating "River", the latter one of the two holdovers from the EP, and the bleak "No Hope Left for Me" is another emotional blues piece with a killer effects laden solo from Sorriaux. "Devil Man", another tune from the EP, follows, and kicks things up a notch with hard rock riffs and piercing vocals. It remains a catchy tune and sure to be the bands signature song. Blues Pills seemingly takes us back to Fleetwood Mac's seminal 1970 album Then Play On with their song "Astralplane", a stirring, dark slice of smoldering blues rock, with Sorriaux channeling Peter Green perfectly as he delivers white hot shards of lethal guitar solos. A surprisingly successful cover of the Chubby Checker song "Gypsy" follows, the band giving it their all and making it their own, and "Little Sun" closes out the album in fine bluesy fashion, Larsson again pulling the listener in with her intoxicating, sultry vocals.
The CD comes with a bonus DVD of the bands set at the Hammer of Doom Festival in 2013. If they weren't impressive enough in the studio, wait till you check them out live on stage. Tracks from the EP as well as the new album are played in their set, and one can only hope a worldwide tour is in the works so hard rock fans around the globe can experience them live.
I can't stress enough just how wonderful an album this really is. Elin Larsson is a star in waiting, but she's not the only bright light here, as Dorian Sorriaux is certainly a guitar hero ready to be crowned (who plays masterfully for someone of such a young age) and the rhythm section is formidable as well. Together, they are one hell of a powerhouse band who deserve to be superstars, and hopefully, that might indeed happen for them. Any fan of bluesy '60s/'70s hard rock needs to get their hands on this album immediately. Blues Pills have arrived folks!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1) High Class Woman
2) Ain't No Change
3) Jupiter
4) Black Smoke
5) River
6) No Hope Left for Me
7) Devil Man
8) Astralplane
9) Gypsy
10) Little Sun
Bonus DVD: Live at Hammer of Doom Festival 2013
1) Bliss
2) Dig In
3) Devil Man
4) Little Sun
5) Mind Exit
6) Astralplane
7) Black Smoke
8) Interview
Bonus DVD: Live at Hammer of Doom Festival 2013
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