Doomsday Outlaw are a rock outfit from the Midlands with a nice Southern rock tinge to their otherwise nicely middle-of-the-road sound. Imagine Thunder had a baby with Black Stone Cherry and it was raised on a farm with Uncle Hellyeah visiting once or twice a year. Their new, second, album is entitled Suffer More and is out on May 27th, though I gather they’re about to start mailing out the pre-orders so those lucky folks should have it ahead of the rest – you can still nab one from their online store if you’re quick.
With fifteen tracks and a running length of an hour and eight minutes, this is a serious “value for money” collection. It’s not as if they’ve let any tat sneak onto the album either. It’s filled with good, head-nodding, foot-tapping rock songs. Opener “Walk On Water” pretty much sums up the sound of the band. Chuggy, a little dirty, downtuned… within a single listen it’s nicely familiar and your head just knows when to rock back and forth.
“Fallback” shows that they know how to take the tempo up a notch and is one of my favourites from the album. With an opening vocal salvo and chorus that throws a bit of Alter Bridge into the mix, it grabs you by the lapels of your denim jacket and doesn’t let go (the video is down below – have a look/listen). There’s a brief interlude for atmospheric acoustic solo “Driftwood” before “All That I Have” brings in country-style riffage and a slightly gentler undertone. A big singalong chorus tops it off nicely.
The title track is a slow builder and a very emotional song, definitely more maudlin than what’s come before but done in such a way as to feel powerful rather than miserable. The guitar solos are slow, careful and perfectly suited to the slower pace and lyrical content. It couldn’t be any more different to the 51-second near-thrash blast that is “Pandemonium”. I get the feeling this one has been rattled off quickly for a bit of fun and kind of stuck. As an attention-grabber mid-show to appease the fans of heavier music milling around during a festival performance, this is a great (alblet short) number.
Moving into blues territory, including those church organ sounds in the background, “I’ve Been Found” is more in line with the band’s predominant tone while “Bring You Pain” kick it up a notch into AC/DC or Aerosmith territory.
I could go through every track to the end – I’ve listened to the album enough to do it – but honestly, if you get a chance to listen to a couple of the songs and you’re taken by them then just get the album. There’s a wonderful variety in the songs drawing from many influences, but if you’re a fan of this style of music then you simply will not be disappointed by this record. Doomsday Outlaw have an absolute corker here. From the long, soulful tracks to the shorter filler ones; ballads to rockers – it’s a superb collection.
Personal picks? “Fallback” as mentioned earlier. “Blues For a Phantom Limb” as one of the best country-style tracks on there. “Standing Tall” is the pick of the ballads. “Suffer More” also for just how sad and powerful it is.
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