The Rocket Dolls – DeaDHeaD

CD:
The Rocket Dolls
Price:
£7.99

Reviewed by:
Rating:
3
On 11 March 2018
Last modified:12 March 2018

Summary:

Whilst I picked up lots of diverse elements, and not necessarily in the whole song, maybe in an intro, a riff or a beat overall I found DeaDHead heavy going. The angst and emotion is palpable. If you want to lose yourself in dark thoughts then this is the album to listen to.
For fans of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Tool.

The Rocket Dolls, a three piece heavy rock band, from Brighton self release their second full length studio album on 6th April 2018. DeaDHeaD was recorded at British Grove Studios and produced and mixed by Mark Roberts. Since forming in 2008 The Rocket Dolls won the best new band at the Pure Rawk awards in 2010, have supported bands such as Zico Chain and Black Stone Cherry and played at numerous festivals including Trash Stock and Hard Rock Hell.

Frontman Nikki Smash, says he wrote the album in a short space of time with a lot of the lyrics influenced by personal experiences such as being ill, fighting depression and becoming addicted to prescription pain killers. The album art work, by Sam Hayles at DOSEprod reflects the deep and personal lyrics, showing a wolf as part animal/part machine representing the change from bad to good and vice versa with the moving wolf signifying hope and the desire to defeat everything that’s wrong in this world.

The album has a very strong Seattle grunge vibe throughout, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam sprung to mind with some other influences thrown into the mix along the way. Opening track None Of This Is Right has a very heavy bass line and had me thinking something along the lines of Metallica’s Enter Sandman mixed with the Foo Fighters’ Everlong played at slow speed! Title track DeaDHeaD remined me of Marilyn Manson’s Deep Six. She Said with it’s guitar strum opening was a bit By The Way by Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Drowning with a Paramore vibe, say That’s What You Get in slow motion. The Desperate with elements of Beast and The Harlot by Avenged Sevenfold. Rusty Bones a hard going Toolesque number think Prison Sex. Then we reach the final song Trigger, which starts off on a heavy monotonous note and nearly had me switching off but luckily I hung on in there to find that the song sped up towards the end, as though the album was giving one last blast in a race to a winning finish!

Whilst I picked up lots of diverse elements, not necessarily in the whole song, maybe in an intro, a riff or a beat overall I found DeaDHeaD heavy going. The angst and emotion is palpable. If you want to lose yourself in dark thoughts then this is the album to listen to.

For fans of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Tool.

Tracklist:

Rocket Dolls
Rocket Dolls (Photo Credit Tina Korhonen)

1. None Of This Is Right
2. She’s Starting Something Now
3. DeadHead
4. She Said
5. The Last Thing On My Mind
6. Stop The Dead Men Crying
7. Drowning
8. The Desperate
9. Strain
10. Rusty Bones
11. Trigger

The Rocket Dolls are:

Nikki Smash – Vocals & Guitar
Benji Knopfler – Drums & Backing Vocals
Joe Constable – Bass & Backing Vocals

Links

 Official Website /  Facebook /  Twitter / Instagram / You Tube

Pre-order the album on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/deadhead/1332273219

Stream ‘None Of This Is Right’ on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6WF692us4rdO9jTSH5PxE1?si=94FOJrtLSpC2–WvbdWqKg

The Rocket Dolls ‘Deadhead’ UK Tour

6th April – Southampton, The Firehouse
7th April – Worthing, Bar42
10th April – Sheffield, West Street Live
11th April – Newcastle, Trillians Rock Bar
12th April –  Edinburgh, Bannermans
13th April – Glossop, The Globe
14th April – Birmingham, The Hammer & The Anvil
15th April – Northampton, The King Billy Rock Bar
19th April – Swansea, Creature Sound
20th April – Weymouth, Finns
21st April – London, Dublin Castle
26th May – Brighton, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
4th Aug – Hastings – Black Market VIP
Whilst I picked up lots of diverse elements, and not necessarily in the whole song, maybe in an intro, a riff or a beat overall I found DeaDHead heavy going. The angst and emotion is palpable. If you want to lose yourself in dark thoughts then this is the album to listen to. For fans of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Tool.

About Louise Swift

I first went to a gig in 1981, Gillan at Leeds University. I've been a regular gig goer ever since. I haven't kept count of how many gigs I've been to over the intervening years, but it's a lot! My favourite bands are AC/DC then, in no particular order, Anti-Nowhere League, Slaughter and the Dogs, Towers of London and Dirt Box Disco. I tend to like Glam/Punk and rude offensive lyrics, not sure what that says about me but as Animal would say 'So What!' The question was recently put to me - did I write for any online publications? My reply - No, but I'd like to! Planetmosh was suggested and I found myself offering to review Aces High Festival. Easy peasy I thought! Well not quite, if a jobs worth doing it's worth doing well! I had sixteen bands to research. I found I actually enjoyed that and it kept me too busy to be making lunatic comments on Facebook! ;) Then I felt a bit inadequately qualified. I mean, who am I to comment on others, when my musical expertise extends to being able to play a mean Greensleeves on the recorder and a passable Annie's song on the flute! Haven't picked up either instrument for years! What I do have, however, is over 30 years of experience as a gig goer, so I can comment on what I like and what I don't! It's only my opinion and, if I don't like a band it doesn't mean they are bad, just not to my own liking. I admire anyone who has the guts to get up on that stage and have a go!