PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
@planetmosh reviews We Will Go On by .@Estrella_Rocks
It’s been a long three year wait but on June 22nd Estrella will finally release their second album, We Will Go On. The wait is due to them being one of the busiest bands around, constantly touring. They’ve just returned from a tour of Europe with Enuff Z’Nuff in time to hit the festivals including Download next Thursday, and back to Scotland at the end of the month for Wildfire Festival, where they’re becoming regulars.
The band, brothers Paul, Luke and Nathan Gunn, and Leo McPherson have gone all out with this album, putting together a production team who have worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including pre-production and mastering by Pete Shoulder (The Union), Luke Morley (Thunder), and Pete Mayer (Rolling Stones) and production by Nick Brine (The Darkness, Thunder). The album was recorded at the legendary Rockfield studios in Wales, where Black Sabbath and Motorhead recorded in the past, and perhaps best known as the studio where Queen recorded Bohemian Rhapsody.
Estrella are a favourite of mine when it comes to gigs. It’s a party every time, with frontman Paul handing out beers and guitarist Luke quite often running off stage to play in amongst the crowd. I was really hoping the party atmosphere would transfer to the record and it does. We Will Go On is classic Estrella. Their music is in the mould of Def Leppard, van Halen and Aerosmith, and it’s nothing if not good fun. Sometimes us reviewers listen to records that are full of doom and gloom, like the artist is getting everything bad that ever happened to them off their chest on one album. There’s none of that here, Estrella are clearly in a good place and enjoying their work, and that comes across on We Will Go On.
Opening track Here I Am is also the first single from the album and on its release was featured twice in Classic Rock magazine’s Tracks of the Week. From the very beginning with it’s “na na na na na na” chorus you can tell it’s a real crowd pleaser. There are some great guitar elements from Luke and Paul has grown in stature and experience since 2012’s Come Out To Play. He reminds me often of Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot, always enjoying himself but also a complete showman, making sure everyone is having a good time. Title track We Will Go On is all about how much the band enjoy playing live and seeing the crowd enjoying themselves. It’s another song that comes across as a perfect live track, all it needs is some crowd participation. A standout track for me is Hard to Get, where the guitars take on a fuzzier tone, and the melody is slower. Paul’s voice is given a chance to shine amongst some great guitar solos and Leo and Nathan playing at the low end really come to the fore. Special mention also to Rock City, a great classic rock track and Be There, more of a ballad and a total singalong number.
We Will Go On is available for pre-order at the bands website, address below. I’ll be at Wildfire at the end of this month and having heard the album I now can’t wait to get there to hear it live!
Track Listing:
Here I Am
Wheels Keep Turning
We Will Go On
This Heaven
Hard To Get
Reason
Hold On
Rock City
Be There
Undercover Lover
My Own Way
Links:
www.facebook.com/Estrellarocks
- 7.49
