(album/ OFF THE WALL)
In a land far, far away from any Emo-Metal mayhem, Tytus Groan are passionately presenting hard and heavy rock 'n' roll music as though it's still the 70's and such a style of music will never go out of fashion.
And with the Tytus Groan boys on the case, I think it's high time for a hard rock revival of the most spirit-uplifting sorts, for this 10-track album is a genuine stormer.
Opening with 'Imagination,' frontman Jason Beattie's voice is perfectly suited to the almighty guitar riffage blasted out by Paul Curtis, the man who is not only behind all the lead guitar carnage but also the keyboards and the bulk of the production duties. Paul, incidentally, lives in the Lake District and much of the album was actually recorded there in his own 'Helvellyn' home studio.
Tytus Groan realise that the secret to a writing a great old rock 'n' roll track lies in the power of its chorus, and all choruses stand-out from the suspenseful verses, with 'Sunshine' ('If it makes you feel any better baby I'll take the blame') starting out in a mellow frame of mind before slamming into its headily intoxicating chorus.
The title track in 'Whisky Heaven' is a 6-minute epic, that's bewitchingly timeless in nature and buoyed by a gorgeous acoustic guitar melody that could quite understandably give way to gig crowds fumbling for their fag lighters. 'Don't Look At Me,' on a different rock hand, is a wailing revelation of noise, before 'I Never Knew You' hears the long, blonde-haired Paul bat out another classic guitar riff that's coolly reminiscent of Brian May's in the Queen anthem 'One Vision.' 'Sometimes Love Comes Easy,' meanwhile, has Paul mimicking Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, further proving - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that he damn well knows his guitar fretboard upside down.
Aided and abetted whole-heartedly by John Powney on drums and Colin Ehrengruber on bass, Paul and Jason are chief songwriters for the band but all members have their own highly essential parts to play in the overwhelming and uplifting vibes of the classic rock sound that Tytus Grow serve. Their songwriting capabilities do often mirror those of Def Leppard's and Thunder's, but these bunch of Groaner's do have their own individual sound that fittingly fights for its right to be heard loud and above all else proud.
A hard rock album played full blast has never ever sounded so good.
(Steve Rudd)
www.tytusgroan.com