Pearler - Belter album review

Pearler – Belter

Review by; The Dark Cookie

This is Pearler from South Wales. Their trade is scuzzy, dirty rock music, a trade they ply very well.

Take a look at the cover of this EP “Belter”, their debut EP from2019, which invokes memories of early Motley. Don’t be fooled, This isn’t some glam-sham affair. The sound is grungier, sludgier, sleazier than that.

So, what about the music? Opener “Fortified” set the groove. A low, slow-burn grungy groove at that slithers into your ears. “Crows Eyes Feet” steps the pace up a gear, and perhaps is a song possessed by the spirit of the early 80s, but there is something more, especially in the vocal delivery, which gives a different edge to the song.

I cannot lie, I have no clue what “Wor.Z.E.L Chuggage” means. It is a meaty song with great riff and a pounding beat, but it doesn’t chug along, barrels along at nearly break-neck pace (well as much as their sound gets, this isn’t thrash!). “Radical Eyes” does that thing of having an old-school feel to the music, a great rolling riff, underpinned by a excellent bass-line, but with very new-school vocal touches, bordering on the screamer sing- back refrains. This one has them Metal Balls we spoke about earlier.

We then get to “The Gusher”. The one that is as close ballad as we are gonna get. I’ll be honest, something about this one doesn’t ring true for me, and I cannot put my finger on exactly why, but for me it slightly misses the bullseye. Hey! I can forgive, if they can forgive me. Wonder what it sounds like live? I’ll find out soon when the guys play Crazy Cowboy 7.

However, it leads straight into our last track “Money Gains” get us back to the chuggage. The riffing is nearly stoner, all be it with a bit more pace. And some of the riffing is as Metal as heck, Sabbathy one moment, Maiden-ish the next, ending on a dirty Slash-like riff, but the vocal delivery is all their own.

Ignore the cover art, embrace the groove. Also give their 2020 follow-up EP “Another Belter” a listen. It takes the template and turns the sleaze up to 11, and generally shifts into a higher gear with a punky edge, less of the grunge, punkier. All of which makes me hungry for more new music, and very much looking forward to their set at CC7!

4.5 out of 5

Track listing;

1. Fortified

2. Crows Eyes Feet

3. Wor.Z.E.L Chuggage

4. Radical Eyes

5.The Gusher

6. Money Gains

Musicians;

Wendell Kingpin – Vocals, Guitar

EVS – Guitar

Freaky – Bass

Gwary Hunt – Drums

Social Media Links;

Web: https://www.pearlerband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pearlerband

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQQa_kLNF_kSBuj1oePoJiQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pearlerband/

Spotify; https://open.spotify.com/artist/4uSPIbZahgYIUy9uIZA5Ac?si=aLAdOD6qR12pXECwcMZu9w