The anticipation is over, Roadstar have realised their 2nd album, Glass Mountain, and there are only to words to describe it…… FUCKING AMAZING!
Anyone who has ever spoken to me knows just how much I love these guys, awesome musicians and 100% genuine, just what you need to enjoy the music that little bit more. When I got their first album, Grand Hotel, I will be honest and say that I was shocked at just how much I liked it . It’s all killer, no filler and is still one of my favourite albums. The second album is the same. All killer!
I always find that with certain albums, you want to skip a certain track because you’re not impressed with it and although, I do have a couple of tracks on Glass Mountain, like ‘Feel Me Come Alive’, ‘Steam’, ‘If You Say’ and the new version of ‘Last Survivor’, I still don’t feel like skipping tracks, which shows just how much of a fantastic album this is.
I’m a very hard person to impress and I have compared Roadstar to likes of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and The Darkness, which was meant as a compliment, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I feel I can’t do that anymore. Roadstar are Roadstar! I can hear the influences from other bands, but you hear that in all music, you can listen to certain AC/DC songs and go, ‘Ooohh, that sounds like Aersomith’. This is a sign of a great band, using their influences to make it their own.
‘Feel Me Come Alive’ has a fantastic drum beat, vocals that grab your attention and the guitaring can only be described as classic rock. It’s the perfect song to start ‘Glass Mountain’ with, something you can feel yourself moving to, whether it be tapping your feet or full blown head banging! Then the second song, ‘Around Again’ has a darker feel, so it’s not a song you can bounce around to. However, all the instruments are once again used to the max. Throughout the album Richie shows that he doesn’t need to music or a beat to sing along to, he could easily sing on his own with no backing and get a crowd going. Amazingly talented musician.
‘Bite The Bullet’ has a bit of a blues feel to it especially when listening to the guitaring, it sounds a little like a guitar rift you would hear from Aerosmith legend Joe Perry. The drumming is once again absolutely flawless and ‘Bite The Bullet’ could easily be played to a crowd and get an epic reception. Track four is a new version of ‘Last Survivor’. This song has always been a personal favourite of mine and has some of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve heard to years. Throughout the entire of ‘Glass Mountain’ Richie shows that he’s not just got a voice, he knows how to use it and pushes emotion across through all 11 songs. The drum beat through ‘Last Survivor’ is something that anyone with a decent taste in music will find themselves tapping along to, the guitaring is noticeable but doesn’t take anything away from the rest of the song, which is the difference between a good rock song and a great one. The ending is new and instead of fading out there’s what can only be described as a some of the best guitaring Britain has heard for a long time. Remember these lads are still young and with talent they’ve shown already, the world better be ready to rock.
Another track with a blues feel in ‘Hold My Love’. Whenever I’ve listened to this song I want to be wearing a cowboy hat and shouting ‘YE HA!’, and I’d never do anything like that so it’s obviously pretty damn impressive. There is no point attempting to sit through this song or this album with a frown on your face because you can’t do it. You can be in the worse mood possibly, but listen to this and you’ll have a big grin by the end of it.
I listened to this album as soon as I’d scared the postman and received my copy and I love all the tracks for all different reasons. ‘Rays’, which is an incredibly catchy tune is very 80’s. What I mean by that is if feels like it should be played during a film like ‘Rocky’ when Stallone is training for the big fight. This, in some ways, makes this track even more enjoyable then it would be. I did enjoy the song beforehand, but it brings back memories of watching films from the 80’s.
Another personal favourite is ‘Steam’. Oh how I adore this song. Perfect drum beat and bass line, fantastic vocals and a chorus everyone will find themselves singing to. Again, very rock guitaring by Jonny. This would be a great song to finish a set with, the ending is awesome, it makes you believe you’ve got to the end of the song when in fact there is one more taste of that jaw dropping talent! ‘Whatever Make You Feel Good’ is another darker song, like ‘Around Again’. Amazing bass line throughout, many people focus on the drumming, vocals or guitaring but block them out just for a second and you will see just how much talent Rob has, and like I’ve said before, at a young age.
I found that ‘Glory’ and ‘Bring On The Good Times’ both had a Red Hot Chilli Peppers vibe about them, especially when listening to the guitaring in them both. ‘Glory’ mainly focuses on the guitars and vocals though, of course, the drums and bass can still be heard. ‘Bring On The Good Times’ is another song, therefore a sound coming from the wonderful Roadstar. The guitar solo is something Joe Perry and Santana would be impressed with. Perfect sound throughout all the songs and these two are no different.
The “ballad” comes in the form of the last track, ‘If You Say’. I say ballad, this because it is lighter then the rest of the album and has a tendency of making people feel all happy and warm, however, this is not the stereotypical rock ballad as I can’t imagine the lads stood on the top of a cliff, instruments at the ready, with the wind blowing through their hair! It reminds me a bit of Bon Jovi, possibly another influence on the lads. Gorgeous lyrics, beautifully delivered.
All of the lads have done a brilliant job, I can hear Rob’s bass in there and always brings a smile, the guitaring is just out of this world, the drumming I can see being played to thousands of people, because Chris can drum!! And the vocals! I’ve always said that Richie sounds a little like Steven Tyler, but you know what, scrap that, Richie sounds like Richie! He’s up there with the likes of Tyler, Scott and Hawkins for me, and how do I know this? Because he has a voice that no matter how much anyone tries, will NEVER be able to do it better then him!
All the songs on ‘Glass Mountain’ are fantastic rock songs, and yes you can hear their influences through their music, but I predict it won’t be long until we hear bands who are influenced by Roadstar.
I am so impressed by this album – if you haven’t ordered it yet, why not? This album has brought such a huge grin across my face, I can see me listening to it for at least the next 2 months, non stop!
So WELL DONE LADS! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD!!!