Genre: Hard Rock/AOR/Metal Can a four piece 90 gigs a year band suddenly became an overnight Festival ‘headline stealing’ Rock act? Well, lockdown changed the landscape (and the laws of the jungle) and now anything is possible in this brave new world we all find ourselves in.
The kind of band I’m talking about finding, are the ones that are loud, proud and very much alive. The ones that could… one day… break. By that I mean have national recognition, hell…..why not worldwide recognition?
There is a London based band that has that kind of ambition, one that plays arena sounding Rock, right from the ’80s. RANSOM is this band. Starting life as a covers band, they seem to have quite a following in the London / Surrey area. Obviously, this cruel virus has put paid to worldwide domination of the live circuit, but this gave this 4-piece band time to ponder their next move.
RAMSON is releasing “Back To The Boozer“, their first full album of original material. And they rock greatly.
“Back To The Boozer” contains 10 tracks of riffage and mayhem, direct from the band’s inspirations – read the late Seventies and the ‘good’ Eighties. There’s something here for every Hard Rock and Metal lover. And I should say more Hard Rock as the material is groovy and bouncing with a bluesy foundation.
Opening with a kick ass drum beat and a deep throated bass riff, ‘Vindication’ allows the guitar to take over. Fast paced and full of fury, the song hacks along at a great pace. Vocals are reminiscent of old school, balls out Rock. A set opener for sure, its got everything to call your attention away from the bar and make you listen. Cracking start!
‘Colour Blind’ opens with that guitar riff that seems to twist out of a Cry Baby pedal into what it should sound like and then bounces along until the vocals kick in, which keeps up the upbeat pace. It’s not a song to listen to whilst driving… The mid-section solo is pretty damn awesome as well. My only criticism is that it seemed too short.
You can’t get away from the Maiden influence in ‘Locked Down In London’, a galloping riff and a vocal style very much from the Di’Anno era. You probably guessed by the title what the lyrical content is about and I think it does sum up exactly how us metalheads feel about the whole situation.
‘Gender Offender’ has a funky feel and when you hear the vocals kick in, you wonder how they got Alice Cooper to appear on the track? This is straight out of the Hair/Glam Rock era, yet it gives you something from the now which makes this song pretty unique and my favourite here.
‘Divided State’ shows how these guys have honed their skills since they formed, all experienced cats. It’s a hard rocker with a heavy feel and the guitar solo kills. Anti-establishment lyrics were a natural choice for this type of song, however I think the title suggests more of how England’s citizens are more divided these days.
If I were you, I’d grab yourself a listen of this little kick ass rocking album and see for yourself, just how good this is. There are a huge amount of bands out there, recreating sounds of Classic Rock, some do travel the same well worn path but others like RANSOM, manage to carve a track for themselves.
They’ve made an impressive start here. I look forward to hearing what these boys can create next, they’ve taken that leap from being a covers band (which is a tag that they have now dropped), to being an ‘Original’. It’s hard work… but I think these guys will rise to the challenge.
Maybe one day, festival headliners? I think they may have the audacity to actually do just that!
01 - Vindication
02 - Colour Blind
03 - Killing Time
04 - Gender Offender
05 - Divided State
06 - Locked Down in London
07 - Retribution
08 - The Ballad of Eugene Bunch
09 - Daytona (when the lights go green)
10 - Back to the Boozer
Ransom – Back to the Boozer – 2022
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