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Inglorious: Inglorious
 The mark of a truly great debut hard rock album happens on that very first spin, when the listener immediately takes notice of the passionate vocals, the blistering guitar work, the hook laden melodies, and that classic vibe. All these things were experienced the very first time I hit the play button on Inglorious, the debut album from the band of the same name. Frontiers Records has another hot act on their hands in this band, who are comprised of superhuman singer Nathan James (Trans-Siberian Orchestra/Uli Jon Roth), lead guitarist Andreas Eriksson, guitar player Wil Taylor, bassist Colin Parkinson, and drummer Phil Beaver. Hammond organ is featured prominently on some songs here, but the information we were given does not list who contributed that to the album. Inglorious play muscular, emotional, and melodic hard rock with a bluesy edge, clearly influenced by the greats such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Free, Humble Pie, Bad Company, Badlands, Aerosmith, and Whitesnake, their music filled with groove and attitude that's addicting right from the opening notes.
Speaking of those opening notes, kick off track "Until I Die" is a lethal slice of hook laden heavy rock, chock full of crunchy riffs, Hammond organ, searing lead guitar, and James' soaring pipes. Both "Breakaway" and "High Flying Gypsy" continue on with the gut wrenching & bluesy hard rock, again with guitars firing away at full throttle, while the slower, moody blues-rock of "Holy Water" becomes a tour-de-force for vocalist James, who instantly enters the pantheon of hard rock belters with his performance on this chilling tune. Slide guitars and nasty riffs permeate the raging "Warning", and the doomy ballad "Bleed For You" features powerful vocals, big crushing riffs, organ, and delicate acoustic strums. There's a soulful edge to "Girl Got a Gun" that reminds of Badlands as well as Lynch Mob, as Inglorious capture that late '80s/early '90s hard rock vibe, and the irresistible hooks of "You're Mine" are matched with the killer riffs for another of the albums can't miss tunes. The hypnotic title track invokes Zeppelin, Whitesnake, The Scorpions, and Blue Murder, thanks to some intoxicating riffs, moody atmosphere, soul-grabbing vocals, and sizzling lead guitar, while the final two tracks on the album, "Unaware" and "Wake", offer a bluesier edge, the former a grueling Southern rocker and the latter a catchy acoustic ballad.
Sure to be one of 2016s hottest debuts, Inglorious contains all the elements that every hard rock fan craves; powerful vocals, tasty guitar work, and instantly memorable songs with plenty of balls. Remember the name Inglorious, as I'm pretty certain you are going to be hearing a lot about this band in the months and years to come.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01.Until I Die
02.Breakaway
03.High Flying Gypsy
04.Holy Water
05.Warning
06.Bleed For You
07.Girl Got A Gun
08.You're Mine
09.Inglorious
10.Unaware
11.Wake
Added: February 7th 2016
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2331
Language: english
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Inglorious: Inglorious
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2016-02-07 13:24:27
My Score:
Over the decades there are countless bands who have seemingly come out of nowhere to take the rock world by storm. Few survive the furore and in fact few ever had the walk to back up the early talk in the first place. So, having already garnered much internet fervour, bagged airtime on Planet Rock and snagged support slots with Winery Dogs, do Inglorious have what it takes to succeed where so many have suddenly soared and frantically fallen?
The band's mainman seems to be singer Nathan James, a name who'll already be as familiar to those with a penchant for UK TV talent shows, as it will followers of the European live line-up of Trans Siberian Orchestra or ex-Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth, while his band mates Wil Taylor (guitars) and Colin Parkinson (bass) are already respected names in the UK music scene. Add in newcomer Phil Beaver on drums and Sweden's Andreas Eriksson (who has worked with members of Europe, Backyard Babies and Crazy Lixx) on guitar and the base of this band is more than solid. Then when you consider they've collaborated here with Al Pitrelli (Alice Cooper/Megadeth), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake/Night Ranger) and Neil Fairclough (Queen) during the writing process, and the "sudden" media interest (the band actually started to come into being in 2014) doesn't seem as out of the blue.
The ethos James went into the album with was to attempt to recapture the vibe of what made classic rock, well, classic. Hence he and his newly formed band went into the studio together to lay down the eleven tracks presented on this self titled debut. In an age where band members seldom even meet in person, this obvious approach verges on outlandish, but the energy and vibe is unmistakably real in a way few achieve these days. The attack is varied, maybe a little too varied, but comes wrapped in all things 70s, whether that be the beefed up Zeppelin-like title track (where Beaver comes into his own behind the kit), the Free meets Sabbath of "Warning" or the bustling UFO vibe of "Breakaway". It's all hugely convincing stuff, the guitar pairing of Eriksson and Taylor injecting a real sense of urgency as Parkinson and Beaver lock everything in place. However the star of the show is James, although maybe too much so. Don't get me wrong, this lad can sing and whether he's roaring with authority, howling with bluesy intensity, or reaching for high notes with ease, he never puts a foot wrong. However "Holy Water", where the blues really comes to the fore and the aforementioned "Warning" are prime examples of where less could be more, the singer desperate to fill every nook and cranny with his presence in a way that gets tiresome the more you experience it; impressive though he is. Which is all the more disappointing when you hear the acoustic guitar and vocal of "Wake", where James reins it all in, in favour of a pure, clear, controlled performance that genuinely knocks you sideways. It's his best vocal and even up against the classy muscular rock found elsewhere, the best track on show by quite some distance.
So yes, there are flaws on this much lauded debut and I've a feeling that, at this early stage, the live arena may actually show this band in a stronger, freer light. However as first impressions go, Inglorious certainly appear capable of living up to their early hype. I'm guessing they'll only get better.
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