With new recruit Steve Welsh on vocals, (along with Tommy Cain (Guitars), Sean Blanchard (Guitars), Thomas Murphy (Bass) and Nick Trajanovski (Drums), Aussie rockers Dead City Ruins are back. They’ve lost none of their edge or their dedication to rock and roll having lived hand-to-mouth for years while growing their fanbase through sheer hard work on tour after tour. Their fourth album, Shockwave, will please existing fans and if there’s any justice, bring along a helluva lot more into the fold.
From the opening power chords of ‘Preacher’, there is no doubt that we are in for rock with capital ROCK… no clones here. They do anthems with 80s stadium class but heavier, coherent and with sing-a-long opportunities and great riffs and solos. Steve Welsh has certainly brought an added frisson to the band. To prove they aren’t one trick carthorses, ‘Madness’ has a bluesy base but is heavy and riff-led with, after an ingenious bridge, a burning, intelligent solo. Want some classic head banging rock? One listen to ‘Speed Machine’ will provide. On the quieter side, ‘Rain’ is still full-on rock with a hint of Southern as acoustic blends with heavy electric riffs and multi-tracked vocals… I can think of a few current Southern bands who would love to have written this! ‘Dog on a Leash’ is awaiting your participation on the next tour. ‘Drifter’ is bass-led heavy blues and extremely good. Closing the album, the suitably climactic ‘The Sorcerer’ is a sub-four-minute epic.
As I said, there are no clones here so don’t think Aussie equals AC/DC. Dead City Ruins may be classic rock but they bring a modern twist with a unique identity. Shockwave delivers twelve tracks, all bar one under four minutes, but they pack more into each song than many bands struggle to do in a whole album… give it a listen now.
Shockwave is out August 19th 2021 via AFM Records.
