Slaves To Gravity – Scatter The Crow

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Gravitas Records
Produced by Chris Sheldon

Slaves To Gravity have been doing it the good old fashioned way. Touring, touring and touring while releasing singles ahead of their debut album. Not enough bands work their way up in this way anymore and it’s now refreshing to see happening again.

Both of the band’s first two singles hit the top 10 rock singles charts in the UK and their big rock riff nature set the tone for what to expect from the band, formed from the remnants of The*Ga*Gas. Wisely opening with the Godsmack-ish Heaven Is A Lie, previously available as the b-side to first single Big Red, a heavy riff, wild solo and big chorus kick off the album in the most positive way.

The slightly more subdued She Says features a nice guitar effect in places similar to the start of Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me by U2, a motif which is used again for the intro and verse melody in to second single Meantime, but it’s rousing chorus carries it through to the brace of big-rocking singles Big Red and Meantime and the Velvet Revolver feel of Too Late with a very dirty, mid-paced riff and aggressive chorus.

Things start to go slightly awry with a string of average American-style mellow alt-rock from Doll Size through to My Poor Hand and don’t pick up again until the grooving heavy riffs of Gutterfly. Third single Mr Regulator, the weakest of the three but still a solid track, follows then the high-paced slightly-punky Burning Robe. There are more grooving riffs in Pluto, with a touch of Alice In Chains influence creeping in, then a wonderful all-acoustic closer in Rosa & The Ocean Blue reminiscent, again, of Alice In Chains (Jar of Flies EP).

Slaves To Gravity’s debut is a strong effort which starts well with five good tracks, ends well with another five, but loses its way to mediocrity with the middle three. The picks are the first two singles, Heaven Is A Lie and Rosa & The Ocean Blue, but there’s plenty here to enjoy and touches like the punk-influence on Burning Robe provide a good bit of variety from time to time. Live some of these numbers should prove incendiary and with yet another full UK tour, now’s the time to catch them in smaller venues.

“ big rock riff nature ”

Tracklist: Heaven Is A Lie / She Says / Meantime / Big Red / Too Late / Doll Size / LG Halo / My Poor Hand / Gutterfly / Mr Regulator / Burning Robe / Pluto / Rosa & The Ocean Blue

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Hard Rock, Slaves To Gravity