Kruk – It Will Not Come Back

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Now on their second proper album, after recording the covers CD Memories with Grzegorz Kupczyk, It Will Not Come Back represents the third record in an increasingly successful partnership between Polish label Metal Mind Productions and home-grown rockers Kruk (“raven” in English). Kruk are more or less what would happen if Joey Tempest sang for Rainbow. Vocalist Tomasz Wiśniewski bears a lot of similarities to Tempest in his voice, especially on the more emotive tracks (on Embrace Your Silence the likeness is uncanny), and musically there are lashings of Lord/Airey-esque organ and Blackmore riffs. It’s no wonder they’ve been selected to open for Deep Purple on the Polish date of their forthcoming orchestra tour, or that former Rainbow vocalist Doogie White agreed to appear on lead single In Reverie. Every track on It Will Not Come Back possesses all of the standard requirements for classic rock songs. Good riffs, massively hooky choruses and some impressive solo playing. And between Kruk and the label they’ve really tried to make sure the album package is worth the asking price. Not only is the booklet simply gorgeous with some of the lyrics and the front cover printed on translucent sugar-paper style stock alternating with vividly coloured art on the pages in between, but a 100-minute bonus DVD is included as standard (no “limited edition” version) featuring a (very loud) 10-song live concert and a documentary, plus a bonus cover of Tina Turner‘s Simply The Best on the CD (which they probably could have made sound more their own). Put simply, It Will Not Come Back is the best hard rock album released this year so far, and it’s hard to imagine another one coming along that will be as good.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2011, Albums, Hard Rock, Quick.Play Reviews, Kruk