SIDEBURN - review added 24th February 2011
Album Review: Jail (2011)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and not stopping at Go
Swiss band Sideburn - Roland Pierrehumbert on vocals and harmonica, Fred Gudit and "Boris" on guitars, Michel Demierre on bass and Lionel Blanc on drums - formed in 1997 from the leftovers of heavy metal act Genocide. Their debut album "Sell Your Soul (For Rock ‘n’ Roll)" came out that same year, with "Crocodile" (2001), "Gasoline" (2004) and "Cherry Red" (2008) following.
For new album "Jail", Beau Hill (Ratt, Gary Moore, Winger, Twisted Sister) was brought in on co-production and mixing duties. He's done a reasonable job with the music, but not enough to make it genuinely good. Thing is, this is another of those AC/DC clones that are so prevalent. It's very difficult to be wholly original nowadays, but when a band openly admits their inspirations, and then sounds like an inferior copy, what's the point?
To be fair to the band, they do a very good job of being entertaining. The musicianship is excellent, and the album as a whole is fun, but the vocals (which sound like an inferior cross between Ralf Scheepers and Bon Scott) grate in a big way...and the vibe is just so unoriginal.
In Summation:
There are people out there who might like this, but I'm afraid it does nothing for me. If you want a band that sound like AC/DC, go and buy an AC/DC album.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Check out... Something else.
Track List:
01. Live To Rock
02. Devil And Angel
03. One Night Stand
04. Rock 'n' Roller
05. Lazy Daisy
06. Jail
07. Chase The Rainbow
08. The Red Knight
09. Long Beard and Boogie
10. Good Boy
11. Kiss Of Death
12. Creedence Vibe
Label: Metal Heaven
Artist's website(s): Sideburn | MySpace
