Trucker Diablo- The Devil Rhythm CD review

Opening for the Foo Fighters and getting Ricky Warwick; of Thin Lizzy fame, to sing one of your songs with you is all in a day’s work for Northern Irelander’s Trucker Diablo – who have just released their new album, entitled The Devil Rhythm. Ram jammed full of high octane, straight up hard rock party anthem, The Devil Rhythm is an amazing all killer, no filler album, made up of 11 of the finest, catchiest, ballsiest hard rock anthems of all time. This is only the band’s debut album, but if they are releasing an album as amazing as this so early in the game, it’s quite clear that Trucker Diablo have a big future ahead of them.

Tracks such as ‘Drink Beer, Destroy’, ‘Stand Up and Fight’ and ‘Voodoo’ are all clearly sing out loud anthems that can ignite any venue into a sea of headbanging, horn throwing and drunken chant along’s. They are a band who likes to base their songs around a catchy chorus, that hooks and grips the listener the moment they kick in and it’s safe to say that on The Devil Rhythm there is plenty of epic songs like this. If you haven’t picked up all the words by the end of the first listen, then you obviously aren’t listening to the same album.

For such a small band, the production and sound on this album is massive. It’s good that Trucker Diablo have taken the time to re-record this album and release it properly as it gives them a more wholesome and professional sound, meaning tracks like the monstrous sounding ‘Big Truck’, ‘Juggernaut’ which features the mighty Ricky Warwick and ‘Never Too Late To Sin’, benefit from this massive musical makeover. Trucker Diablo have such a heavy, gargantuan sound, and part of this is due to the brilliant sound quality of this album.

There isn’t a dull moment on The Devil Rhythm and it’s due to all the musical elements present in Trucker Diablo. There are elements of hard rock/blues rock and sleaze rock all across the album, and it’s this diversity and combination of so many styles that makes the whole Trucker Diablo experience so enjoyable. Tracks towards the end of the album such as ‘Rattlehead’ and ‘When Angels Die’ have some nice dirty bluesy and groovy guitar licks in them, caressing your ears as the sharp, powerful dual guitar lines kick in from guitarists Tom Harte and Simon Haddock.

With this release Trucker Diablo has proved they are Ireland’s hottest export since Thin lizzy, releasing an album that could rival the likes of ‘Jailbreak’ or ‘Chinatown’. This is such an iconic album and hopefully will be just one of many for the mighty Trucker Diablo… Ride on boys! [9/10]