Deadline: Fire Inside

I take my hat off to French Hard Rockers Deadline, for in this day of downloads and streams, this group have put together an eye catching promo pack that certainly entices interest and intrigue. References to Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant and David Coverdale are revealed, as are nods to Slash, Doug Aldrich and Steve Vai; a list that adds to the anticipation. So when the chugging Gn'R riff of "Like An Old Man" (thankfully, for the most, lyrical clichés about babes and cars are avoided), or stinging six string punch of "Maverick" delight and amaze, there's hope that Deadline are the real deal their blurb promises. Drummer Fabrice Trovato wallops the simple beats with authority, snare breaks cracked out with feeling, while bassist Sebastian Debbane locks in with guitarists Joris Beraud and Gabriel Lect superbly. If straight down the middle Bluesy Hard Rock, with a side of Sunset Strip is your thing, these guys can and do serve it up well. So it's such a shame that singer Arnaud Retsoueix, who lands somewhere between Axl Rose and Klaus Meine (not a bad place to be), simply couldn't carry a tune if you handed him a basket. In terms of attitude, he's spot on, the fire in his belly clear to hear, the shimmy of his hips almost visible. He attacks each note with every fibre of his being, yet in the end his, heavily accented, screechy wail is more a distraction than anything else.

It's a real shame, for the mid-paced "No Glory" hooks you in, while the heartfelt "Broken Parts" manages to avoid being a number-following power ballad, instead turning into a power fuelled grind with a fragile heart. Then factor in "Fire Inside" itself which swaggers for all it's worth and "Freedom Call", where another Slash like burst slaps you about the head, and all that's needed is a decent vocal to seal the deal. Unfortunately that never comes and in the end it stops this Deadline dead in its tracks.

Track Listing
1. The Fire
2. Fire Inside
3. Rock You
4. Teach Me Love
5. Freedom Call
6. October
7. Like An Old Man
8. The Maverick
9. No Glory
10. Broken Parts
11. The Hunter
12. Broken Parts (Cello)

Added: February 1st 2015
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Deadline on Facebook
Hits: 1715
Language: english

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