a l b u m r e v i e w s


HAIR OF THE DOG
RISE
Spitfire Records
Produced by: Michael Wagener
Released: OUT NOW / Website
Relatives: Little Caeser, Aerosmith
GENRE: Hard Rock
OVERALL: 92%

  1. Rise
  2. Five To Nine
  3. Color Me Fire
  4. You Are The One
  5. Mokur Jahoobees
  6. I Can't Fight You
  7. Rescue Me
  8. Bum Jenkins
  9. Twice
  10. The Almighty Strut
  11. Sometimes Is Enough
  12. Hammered
  13. I

Hair Of The Dog have been bubbling under for a little while now, especially with their self titled debut (put together from some fresh studio tracks and some demo's) that gained considerable exposure. But their new album will really put these guys over the top.
This album deserves to be heard by the masses and deserves to put Hair Of The Dog into the classic rock n roll band league, surpassing modern rock radio favorites and replacing them with an album reminiscent of old time favorites Aerosmith, Kiss and Van Halen.
Rise is the band's first album to be recorded in one set of sessions and saw producer great Michael Wagener at the helm.
The result is one of the most solid and consistently great American hard rock albums of the last few years. Bands like Hair Of The Dog, Union and Mars Electric are going to be the new bread of commercial melodic rock. Radio DJ's take notice! Give these guys airplay, you are your listeners will not be disappointed! Hair Of The Dog play straight forward good time, fun rock n roll.
Just as the bands of the late 70's and early 80's partied hard, so do these guys in this day.
The guys are a modern version of Aerosmith and Kiss crossed with LA hard rockers Little Caesar. Vocalist Ryan Cook has a might voice that does compare with Little Caesar's Ron Young.
The album opens with the most contemporary song of he album. Rise is a heavy, slightly alternative number that will catch the ear of the 90's rock fans. My guess that track leads the album to try and gain a foot in the door with those who will review this that might be pre-disposed to the trendier alternative rock.
But from then on in, this album is nothing but classic party rock in the vein of the band's I mentioned previously.
Five To Nine and Color Me Fire are both fast, hard rocking anthems that are totally driven by a monster guitar sound and a production quality rarely heard.
You Are The One is a classic mid tempo ballad that is the essence of what radio played back to back in the metal heyday of 1986-1992. A truly great song that could break the guys commercially.
Mokur Jahoobees is just a simple fun blues based funky hard rock tune, while I Can't Fight You sounds like classic Kiss, Rescue Me is the other ballad of the album, a cool acoustic driven blues ballad.
Bum Jenkins is almost classic Bulletboys and the band's cover of the obscure Kiss track I is fantastic. The guys pay homage to their favorite band by sticking frighteningly close to the original and adding a mid section jam that covers about 6 other riffs and lines from other Kiss tracks. So good it's scary!
Anyone that owns a copy of anything remotely like Little Caesar, Warbabies, Hericane Alice or Junkyard need to get this album now.
BOTTOM LINE: Anyone who missed the classic American hard rock sound of bands like Little Caesar, the bluesy based hard rocking party anthems and feel good hard rock of the best era of music this century need to find this album ASAP.
Simply one of the best straight ahead classic American hard rock releases in the past several years.
PRODUCTION: 90% SONGS: 89% VIBE: 90%ATTITUDE: 95%
ESSENTIAL FOR: Every fans of good American hard rock, especially those with an ear for the classic blues/sleaze bands of LA.
DISCOGRAPHY:Hair Of The Dog . Rise

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