Inglorious were feted to be ‘the next big thing’ in Classic Rock but, after a glorious(!) debut, the next couple were a little underwhelming in my view. The third album, Ride To Nowhere, was overshadowed by the departure (on the same day) of three members of the band.
So have Nathan James and new members (guitarists Danny DelaCruz and Dan Stevens along with bassist Vinnie Colla) managed to overcome those adversities? Well, initially the resounding thought is yes… the underpinnings of blues rock is still in evidence, thankfully, as they embark on a new chapter that could see their star in the ascendance again.
Opener ‘She Won’t Let You Go’ is riffed brilliantly and Nathan uses his vocals wisely and melodically rather than overegging the screaming and the band dish up solid support and a great solo too. The vocals are the biggest surprise on ‘Messiah’ as, behind some imaginative instrumentation, the verses are almost gentle before the Nathan of old gives it rice on the chorus – if they keep this standard up, this will be a big album. ‘Eye Of The Storm’ has a gentle start with falsetto vocals initially before a sort of soulful approach to some quality lyrics – the band then let loose with a banging chorus. My favourite was apparent on first listen, ‘He Will Provide’ is Inglorious at their compositional best. A sort of Dio/Rainbow, ‘Light In The Black’, feel and a similar majesty, albeit a bit shorter; the solo also conjures up the Man In Tights in a very good, complementary way. ‘We Will Meet Again’ has a very modern sound whilst retains the Inglorious edge; a bit of a grower then, after a few run-throughs, it becomes essential. The closing and title track, ‘We Will Ride’ wraps it all up with another great riff and some good old trusty Nathan power linked to an epic chorus for us all to join in once the damnable Covid is beaten.
In summary, a fine, fine album that has certainly lifted them back to the high impact and quality of the debut but with a slightly more modern edge that shouldn’t alienate current fans and could also recruit a few more.
They’ve also announced a major tour for 2021; tickets from inglorious.com, but not until October 2nd.
