There's no better type of rock out there!
Kicking off with the loud rev of a meaty engine and with pictures of engines and American muscle cars adorning their album cover, it's clear from the start that Canadian rockers Equal Loudness Curve are not going to produce anything but hardcore rock. Made up of guitarist, vocalist and percussionist Trevor Knox Millar, organist, pianist and vocalist Lloyd Peterson, bassist Jake Jacobs and Steve Pennicook on drums, the band are rockin' out in the best possible way: old school style!
Tasty riffs, tinkling piano melodies, adventurous drum beats and gritty vocals, the band are the epitome of hard rock from across the pond. Conjuring images of motor rallies with scores of leather and denim-clad people gathered together on a petrol-fuelled high, Equal Loudness Curve aren't for the faint-hearted. This is the raw, rugged type of rock that gets beneath your skin and sends your pulse racing, there's no better type out there!
However, as great as Equal Loudness Curve's sound is, the band don't use it particularly creatively and it's not long before each song melts into the next, with no track particularly standing out. The lack of originality is particularly noticeable as the album goes on; there isn't much that makes this album unmistakeable as anything but an Equal Loudness Curve release, which is pretty disappointing.
Don't get me wrong, I liked what I heard and could indeed listen to this album all night and still enjoy it, but there isn't anything particularly memorable that would make it more appealing than other albums I own of the same genre. The guys are so good at what they do, but there aren't any risks here, no boundaries are being smashed.
I'm a huge fan of 80's-style hard rock and couldn't be happier that it's making a comeback because of the likes of Equal Loudness Curve. The guys have released a superb album that really sticks two fingers up at commercial rock and shows the new generation how it's done. If the guys had been a little bit more original in their approach to the genre this album could've been a huge hit.
To find out more about the hardcore quartet, check out their website: www.equalloudnesscurve.com.