Review by; Kayleigh
Budderside – White Flame
LA hard rockers Budderside are bringing huge energy with their album ‘White Flame’. The 12-track combines elements from rock of the past to modern hard rock with each song bringing its own personality.
‘White Flame’ is made up of eight songs that listeners have heard before on ‘Good For Nothing’ as well as the bands most recent single ‘Ain’t Alright’, then fans are also treated to four brand new songs.
Coming in full force ‘Good For Nothing’ opens with a huge energy that seems to be common with the LA rockers. There’s something fun about the large guitars backed by the pounding beat of the drums, ‘Good For Nothing’ has got spirit. Vocally this band is unique, delivering a raspy but power-driven sound that would more commonly be found on a classic metal track rather than this modern hard rock, but I love the way these musicians have put their talents together. I found myself unable to play this song loud enough, and this was just the beginning of a great album.
Keeping up with the attention-grabbing hard rock ‘Voices’ pulls you into a huge room filling riff. This one is more like a hard rock ballad, but it doesn’t steer away from the heavy guitars and strong drums.
Third track of twelve is the first previously unreleased one, ‘A Thousand Teardrops’ seems to combine emo lyrics with Budderside’s huge hard rock sound. There’s a bit of use of electronics in this song as well, showing that Budderside aren’t a band trying to be like artists of the past and that they are very much in the present. ‘A Thousand Teardrops’ leans a little heavier than the previous two songs and had me even more excited by ‘White Flame’ than I already was. It’s also very catchy which makes it one of my favourites on the album.
Going in a slightly different direction ‘Never Worth It’ had me making mental comparisons to Three Days Grace. Where the previous songs on ‘White Flame’ all had this fun high energy ‘Never Worth It’ seems to pull more from harder emotions like anger or sadness. I have no doubt that hard rock listeners are going to love this hard-hitting chorus that instrumentally punches you in the face while the soaring vocals deliver the catchy title lyric.
‘The Truth’ is another one that feels very rooted in modern hard rock with elements of the early 2000’s. This one is clearly emotion fuelled, the track thunders through your ears in the verses while the chorus settles into a more melodic sound letting the apparent anger of the lyric shine through. The sweeping guitar solo moment within ‘The Truth’ solidifies this as a track that would easily be found on a 2000’s hard rock album.
‘Evol’ is another one of my favourite tracks, if not my favourite. The song has a driving riff that is packed with strength. ‘Evol’ is heavier both in emotional feeling and in its sound. It actually reminds me a lot of Asking Alexandria’s newer stuff. Vocally the verses show off a sweeter side but that doesn’t last long, the pre- chorus comes in and not only do the vocals build the tension, but the drums prepare you for the massive chorus. ‘Evol’ is a track that shows no matter what style of hard rock Budderside are leaning into they make it big and impossible not to want to listen to.
After the excitement of ‘Evol’, ‘Joker’ is a much needed cool down. It’s still got power to it, yet it’s a little more beautiful and has a feeling of love. A simple melody with the raspy vocals still delivering pure soaring power, this one is a nice song that feels very fitted to its place on the album.
One of my favourite things in hard rock music is when it’s made to feel just a little bit spooky, and Budderside nail that with the next track ‘Ghostlighting’. The guitars drive that spooky, Halloween sound while the vocals are really given an opportunity to shine. ‘Ghostlighting’’ is another one that feels a little bit like an emo rock song, and it even gives a little bit of a breakdown with a soaring solo that is entirely suited the style of this song.
Nearing the end of the album with only four songs left ‘Black River’ makes itself stand out as being more rhythm focussed in the opening verse before the chorus strikes like a viper. It may not be as exciting for me as some of the other songs on ‘White Flame’ but ‘Black River’ has definitely earned it’s place. The previously unreleased track has more groove to it yet also has one of the heaviest moments on the album.
‘Too Far’ is another modern hard rock track and in my opinion is probably the easiest one to forget. Don’t get me wrong it’s a good song that on its own is very enjoyable and has all the qualities that make Budderside, great but compared to others on ‘White Flame’ it is just another good hard rock song.
Where do I start with the second last track ‘Ain’t Alright’? Budderside’s most recent single is so different from the other songs on ‘White Flame’. This one starts off feeling like it’s trying to inspire hope and is full of light but then the chorus comes in giving it this twisted feeling. I was about ready to give up on this song if it wasn’t for the unusual guitar throughout the chorus. I can’t begin to explain the sort of unsettling yet enjoyable feeling this song gives me, the duality of the happy and light with this unusual darkness. This is one I think everyone must hear for themselves.
Closing ‘White Flame’ is the title track, which is an explosive, epic rock song that starts off in the form of a modern ballad. There’s a sort of goth vibe before it transforms into something massive. I loved the vocals throughout the whole album, but they especially shone in this emotion filled track.
I think ‘White Flame’ is an album I could ramble about for ages; I haven’t reviewed an album I’ve liked this much in a while and there wasn’t a single song I didn’t like. I cannot recommend checking Budderside out enough.
5 out of 5
Tracklist
Good For Nothing
Voices
A Thousand Teardrops
Never Worth It
The Truth
Evol
Joker
Ghostlighting
Black River
Too Far
Ain't Alright
White Flame
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