Scarlet Rebels – Show Your Colours

Fourteen tracks is a brave move for an album, let alone a debut as the listeners attention may start to waver but this is not the case for this absolute stunner from South Wales based Scarlet Rebels with Show Your Colours.  Early promise was shown when I caught their set in May at Rockforce Festival at the Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool. First band on at 1pm after being on the road since 5am, they blew me away with their energy and three guitar line up and that power has been harnessed in the studio and you can find out when the album is released on Aug.9th 2019 via Rock Of Angels Records.

Those guitars hit hard from the off as album opener ‘No One Else To Blame’ is all strutting riffs and melodic fills with lead vocalist Wayne Doyle blazing away. ‘You Take My Breath Away’ is a mid paced headbanger with Wayne giving a spotlight stealing vocal as a tasty wah-wah solo heads into a full on outro. Sassy grooves flow through ‘Head’s In The Ground’ giving it a touch of sleaze. Intro guitar lines for ‘Part Of Me’ are real earworms as it goes into a Southern rock vibe and riffs heavily during the choruses. ‘Heal’ is split between a heart wrenching ballad in the first half and then ends on guitar heavy AOR. Sugar sweet rhythms and upbeat vocals lock together for a feel good vibe in ‘Let Your Love Go’. Riffs ebb and flow but are barely restrained when they make themselves heard in the bombastic choruses of ‘Nothing To Say’.

Instantly memorable choruses get their hooks into you again during ‘Save Me’, backed by driving riffs. Another heart wrenching ballad to add to their arsenal comes from ‘Blinded By The Pain’. It goes from a whisper to a scream when the music kicks in to Wayne’s pleas. ‘Shattered Dreams’ (not a Johnny Hates Jazz cover), how about shattered eardrums from the booming riffs as melodies with muscle make this song my album highlight. ‘Can I Open My Eyes?’ to my ears sounds like power pop punk as catchy riffs drive along an edgy vocal as a complete change of mood sees ‘Returning Light’ stroll along on a sparse piano and acoustic chords as a heart melting vocal stretches to a roar when the rest of the band arrive with a crash and sumptuous backing vocals. ‘Losing End’ is all Foos tinged stadium rock and the album closes on a high with ‘Radio Song’. It’s a power chord laden monster with a lung busting vocal to match them and is bound to sound huge when played live.

Tracklist:

No One Else To Blame.

You Take My Breath Away.

Head’s In The Ground.

Part Of Me.

Heal.

Let Your Love Go.

Nothing To Say.

Save Me.

Blinded By The Pain.

Shattered Dreams.

Can I Open My Eyes?

Returning Light.

Losing End.

Radio Song.

Scarlet Rebels band line up :-

Wayne Doyle – Lead vocals/guitar.

Gary Doyle – Drums.

Wayne ‘Pricey’ Esmonde – Bass guitar/backing vocals.

Chris Jones – Lead guitar.

Josh Townshend – Guitar/keyboards/backing vocals.