The Virginmarys

King Of Conflict

Written by: CD on 04/06/2013 22:58:49

If you like rock'n'roll in any form you'll have a hard time not appreciating the debut album of the three-piece outfit from Macclesfield, England. The Virginmarys have been around since 2006 which at least partly explains why "King Of Conflict" sounds nothing like a debut album. The unadulterated raw sound they've managed to produce is first and foremost driven by frontman Ally Dickaty's catchy guitar riffs and the confident swagger of his voice. The band has a special talent for composing intros that grip your attention and that, thanks to the air-tight rhythm section of Matt Rose and Danny Dolan, keeps you listening.

Opening out with the two hard hitting tracks "Dead Man's Shoes" and "Portrait of Red" The Virginmarys set the listener up for an entire album of straightforward hard rock but beneath the surface the "King Of Conflict" is so much more than simple unrestrained noise, as they aptly show in "Just A Ride" where the lyrics are expertly woven together as the song surges back and forth between melodious riffs and full on rocking out.

With "Bang Bang Bang" this ability to shift between unbridled urgency and tight restraint leaves you starting to wonder if the title of the album isn't a comment on their working progress. A conflict between the band's urge to go all out and their cool deliberate acumen which has resulted in a tightness that is nothing short of admirable and worth of crowning themselves 'Kings'.

At the end of the day it leaves the "King of Conflict" difficult to neatly put in a box. The different layers and variety of the songs invariably means that each person will draw a hundred different musical connotations, and had me personally imagining the frontman as a clone-baby of Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner and Dave Grohl at times, and taking the place of Clutch's Neil Fallon at others. One thing is sure, their tight, raw sound will be something to look forward to listening to whether on the radio, on a festival stage over the summer or blasting out of your car stereo as you're driving your convertible down Highway 61.

Download: Bang, Bang, Bang; Just A Ride
For The Fans Of: Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters
Listen: facebook.com/TheVirginmarysOfficial

Release Date 13.02.2013
Double Cross Records

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