This is Sheffield based C.O.P UK’s third album but the first we have been introduced to here at Moshville Times. This is a band that cites such acts as Def Leppard and Saxon as their influences and it this earlier period of New Wave of British Heavy Metal which runs so obviously throughout No Place For Heaven. Other bands that are going to jump out of you when you listen throughout the album are bands such as Judas Priest and maybe the Little Angels. This is no tribute album though and C.O.P UK are able to introduce their own modern day influences into the mix as well. But if you are looking for some good old fashioned Brit hard rock and the sort of guitar solos that you could only ever dream of as a kid, the type of solos that made you want to pick up the guitar, and play metal yourself then there is plenty in No Place for Heaven you are going to enjoy.
If you are going to be influenced by any period of British Heavy Metal then NWOBHM is a good place to start, there were some great albums and some great times and that spirit of that has been carried forward by C.O.P UK. I am going to do something unusual (for me) with this review and start at the end of the album and that’s because there is triumvirate of songs at the end that really captured my imagination and for me they were key songs in my understanding of the band and the album.
The first of these is “No Man’s Land” one of the more melodic rock tracks on the album. The gentle start instantly captures your attention and this quickly followed up by a melodic guitar riff that is one of the best on the album. In “No Man’s Land” Dale Radcliffe’s’ vocals really soar and vocally it may very well be his best performance of the album. It is that combination of vocal performance and guitar riff mixed in with the sincerity of the verses and sentiments of the lyrics and the overall atmosphere of the song that makes this track stand out so well.
To add to this, it has a soulful and skilled guitar solo combining to make probably the stand out track of the album “One In A Million” starts with a complex and almost 80’s synth sounding guitar solo before Radcliffe’s vocals hit in again. It is that guitar solo which really dominates this track though. It is something seen so rarely these days, where a riff can lead a track so well. Once the chorus kicks in you are almost reminded of something in the Gary Moore style or even Ozzy in his 80’s days. There is also a mid-break in this song, that it a little more vicious and the pace and delivery are very Rage Against the Machine. Yet somehow, all of these elements manage to come together to make a great song. Where C.O.P UK have been able to bring their own twist to this genre is by the sheer ideas they have in each song.
“Strange Than Fiction” is a slow burner, enhanced by a touch of blues style guitars but it is the chorus and again the vocal delivery in that chorus which will really capture your attention. When Radcliffe is given a free rein from the rest of the band, then he really can deliver a strong performance.
Elsewhere on the album there are a number of other strong songs that a worth a mention. “My Blood” has some great hooks and another guitar riff that has great melody and skill but it is its almost Almighty-ish chorus that stands out here. The vocals are layered, whether by the band or Radcliffe’s vocals layered over the top of each other I am not sure but with the pace and production on the track it stands out well. “Kiss of An Angel” has a progressive chord sequence behind the song which works really well and it something that I have always really loved. Added to the sincerity and range of the vocals this is another standout track. Another song I enjoyed was “Burn Hell” which with its opening riff is probably the most reminiscent of their Def Leppard influence.
So C.O.P UK seem determined with No Place for Heaven to save Sheffield Steel and reintroduce it back into the mainstream and there are enough signs from this album, that they have the talent and the songs to push this dream a long way. No Place For Heaven has managed to take influences from the past and reinvigorate life back into them for today. Hopefully they will be able to inspire many more future musicians to pick up and play.
No Place For Heaven is out now.
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