Merryweather Stark: Carved In Rock

Call it being Carved In Rock, call it getting a mighty great boot up the ass in the shape of a riff grooved monster. Hell, call it what you want, but if you're looking for an album to dig in deep and leave you breathless thanks to its authentic blues busting, groove gyrating chops, then, this is where you should be.

If you don't already know, Neil Merryweather is a hugely respected bassist and vocalist who is renowned for his work with Space Rangers, Steve Miller, Lita Ford and well, countless others. Having previously guested on Janne Stark's Mountain Of Power - Vol. 3 disc, the pair have decided to team up and take their brand of down and dirty guitar slinging to the masses and we should be grateful they did. Stark is no slouch either, Locomotive Breath, Constancia, Overdrive and Grand Design all benefitting from his thunderous guitar goodness, but this guy also writes books and reviews about the scene he's part of and a wider scope of music in general. In short Stark is the sort of guy who lives and breathes this music. Hence it's no surprise that combined with the boisterous bass work and stunning vocals of Merryweather, this pair have come up with something just a little special.

Adding an occasional psychedelic groove to proceedings, Carved In Rock came here to hit hard and leave you craving for more. And that's exactly what opener "Irma La Douce" does, a shambolic tumble of sounds giving way to the sort of stinging guitar line and riff that Hendrix would have braved the crosstown traffic for. However from there the staccato bursts are all about making maximum impact, the shout out of this song's chorus just irresistible. "It Ain't Pretty" adds a bluesier flavour, but it's still the combination of spiralling bass and guitar that has you nodding in approval. Throughout, drummer Peter "Trumpeter" Svensson revels in the enviable job of nailing all this riffmongering down and building the base of the groove, as he simply refuses to waste a single beat or cymbal smash along the way.

From the mean and moody "Give 'Em Hell, Boy" to the darting forays and melodically laced riff of "Love And War" - which hits like early Van Halen - this juggernaut of hard hitting rock just keeps on firing. And no matter how many times you abuse the repeat button on this guaranteed party starter, the standard simply never drops.

Hopefully Merryweather Stark is set to be a name we're going to get used to hearing from again and again. If Carved In Rock is anything to go by, the mark they're sure to leave will be as indelible as the title of their debut album suggests.

Track Listing
1. IRMA LA DOUCE

2. IT AIN'T PRETTY

3. WE GOTTA OWN THIS THING

4. BABYLON - SIN CITY

5. GIVE 'EM HELL, BOY

6. ROCKERS LAMENT
7. LAY YOUR BODY DOWN

8. LOVE AND WAR

9. FREEDOM TO LOVE

10. WHAT'S IT GONNA BE

11. I BELIEVE

Added: March 4th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Carved In Rock @ The Grooveyard
Hits: 3012
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]