Black-Bone – Blessing in Disguise

“Blessing in Disguise” is Black-Bone’s second studio album after their first release back in 2012. Since then the band have been dedicating their time to building up the fan base and playing the early music their fans all know and love. For a band so early into their career, it’s incredible to find that since their formation they’ve already played more than 220 live shows, and supported big names such as Deep Purple, Saxon and Slash.

“Loaded – Weighted” is the second track on the album, and is a fantastic early indication of what this band are capable of. The track comes across as a combination of Motörhead and Guns ‘N’ Roses, mixed in with the young energy of Heavens Basement. The heavy-set guitar riff coupled with the bludgeoning drums is an incredible sound to match the dark raspy vocals being portrayed by frontman Steef.

The next track “Suicide (Ain’t No Way Out) opens up with a powerful, speed-laced guitar riff before branching into a superbly passionate song, which carries with it a strong message tackling the subject of suicide. It’s refreshing to hear a modern Heavy Rock band within this sub-genre use their opportunity to cover topics most would avoid or be fearful of trying to attack, and succeeding so well. They manage to portray a great level of authenticity while giving the track enough clout to be a kick-ass song at the same time.

“Never Too Loud” is the highlight of the album for me. The lyrical content and vocals remind me of Classic Rock bands like KISS and Twisted Sister. Just so simple yet so effective, and the sort of song you want to crank.

My only reluctance would be towards a few select tracks (such as “Waster Years” and “Wrong”) that take on a slower tempo and don’t have the same impact or interest-peaking sound as the earlier songs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to make out the band are a one trick pony, they nail the element of diversity early on in the album, and really show their dexterity as a group, but slower paced songs just don’t come across as being their forte, and in my opinion, that’s not necessarily a bad thing! One thing I can say about these particular songs is they did tend to have mighty guitar solos that work perfectly with the structure of the track.

It’s apparent that this is a band who love what they do, and apply the focus where it’s needed. It’s refreshing to see a band who focus their energy in the right places and in the moment in order to provide fans with live experiences and band interaction, rather than the focal point being placed on constant new material and tours set out for promotional premise, which can sometimes just spell overkill.

There’s a recognisable growth in the latest album, and the experience they’ve picked up from their extensive touring can be heard throughout the album. What’s more impressive is the height of intensity in the songs, which is being achieved by a 3-piece band.

Track listing

Nothing But History
Loaded – Weighted
Suicide (Ain’t No Way Out)
Enemy
Wrong
Never Too Loud
Ashereah
You Gotta Nerve
Wasted Years
Save It for Tomorrow
Believe

BLACK-BONE “Blessing In Disguise”

Available formats:

Format: CD
Packaging: digipak

Format: LP
Packaging: Gatefold, coloured (red) 180gr. vinyl, double sided poster, CD with the entire album, limited to 500 only!

Tracklist CD:
1. Nothing But History (3.22)
2. Loaded – Weighted (3.10)
3. Suïcide (ain’t no way out) (4.39)
4. Enemy (3.38)
5. Wrong (6.21)
6. Never Too Loud (3.45)
7. Ashereah (3.54)
8. You Gotta Nerve (4.04)
9. Wasted Years (4.00)
10. Save It For Tomorrow (6.12)
11. Believe (4.30)

Tracklist LP:
Side A
1. Nothing But History (3.22)
2. Loaded – Weighted (3.10)
3. Suïcide (ain’t no way out) (4.39)
4. Enemy (3.38)
5. Wrong (6.21)
6. Never Too Loud (3.45)

Side B
1. Ashereah (3.54)
2. You Gotta Nerve (4.04)
3. Wasted Years (4.00)
4. Save It For Tomorrow (6.12)
5. Believe (4.30)

Line Up:
Steef van den Bogaard – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Sven Hompes – Bass, Vocals
Jules Eck – Drums

www.black-bone.nl
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