Nowhere to Run - The Brink
Review by; Jon
“Rock is dead”. Those three words uttered by Gene Simmons during an interview with Esquire magazine in 2014 caused much debate between music fans worldwide, with many a good argument being waged on both sides of the fence, the main one being the fact that many of the big bands of the last forty years are now firmly into their senior years, rich beyond their wildest dreams, and seemingly content with ploughing the nostalgia circuit. Taking all this into consideration you have to admit that the God of Thunder may have had a valid point; is rock and roll as we know it on the verge of extinction?
Fast-forward five years and thankfully for all rock and metal fans, the outspoken KISS bassist has seemingly been proved inaccurate beyond all reasonable doubt. Recent years has seen the emergence of a plethora of new bands such as Greta Van Fleet, The Struts and Stone Broken amongst countless others. All bands who have succeeded against the odds through word of mouth and grassroots support.
The latest ‘new’ band on the British scene are The Brink. The Cambridgeshire five-piece are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most talked about live acts in the country. Recent support stints with the Graham Bonnet Band, The New Roses and Jizzy Pearls Love/Hate have seen the band going down a storm with melodic rock fans both young and old and also resulted in the band being signed to Frontier Records. This month saw the release of the bands eagerly anticipated debut album ‘Nowhere to Run’.
The first thing that struck me when opening the CD case was the retro mock vinyl label of the CD itself. Not an original idea I agree but when the album is played through the label definitely makes sense as the album is a breath of fresh air but the band definitely wears their 80’s arena rock loving hearts on their (tattoo?) sleeves.
First up is last years single ‘Little Janie’. The song packs a punch live and it is great to hear that the guys (and girl) in band have managed to capture their live sound on record. ‘Little Janie’ relays the oft-told story of a young girls dream-laded foray into the big city turning into a nightmare but the enthusiasm and musical chops on display lift Janie’s tale well above filler material and it’s a great start to their debut LP.
From the opening number the amps stay at 11 for ‘Break These Chains’. The tale of breaking free of humdrum blue collar employment combined with the catchy talk-box beat will no doubt draw comparisons to Bon Jovi but this should be taken as praise rather than a criticism as ‘Break These Chains’ is head and shoulders above any of the New Jersey rockers’ output of the last fourteen years. Bon Jovi are clearly an influence on the band as even Tommy and Gina get a mention during a later song ‘Don’t Count Me Out’. Again there is no shame in this as any band would be crazy not to harbour dreams of even a portion of JBJs’ success.
The big tunes and sing-a-long choruses continue through the third track ‘Never Again’ with the guitars sizzling and singer Tom Quicks’ vocals soaring throughout but there’s a change of pace for ‘Save Goodbye’ which is complete with orchestral touches and a cracking “Woah-Woah” background refrain. ‘Save Goodbye’ is definitely one of the highlights of the album and shows the band can do ballads just as well as the heavier stuff.
The definite highlight of the album that displays the bands writing and playing chops is almost certainly ‘One Night Only’ – it’s an absolute belter with possibly the dirtiest sounding guitar riff this side of ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ and the best sing-along-chorus on the album. This track also kicks ass live and the only (small) criticism of the album version is the background vocals on the chorus don’t seem to be high enough in the mix. I’m being very picky however because this song is simply the best thing on the album!
The following track ‘Wish’ is the second ballad on the album and easily ranks as the second best song on offer. ‘Wish’ is a proper lighters, sorry smart phone torch, in the air moment and the orchestra is very nicely complimented by a storming guitar solo. ‘Wish’ is very reminiscent of a Desmond Child penned Aerosmith power ballad and it is quality from start to finish.
In this day and age the 15 song track listing is ambitious for a debut album and it is admirable that the band have managed to pretty much pull it off. There’s no duff on the album and even the tracks that some may class as ‘filler’ would be deemed good enough for lead singles by most artists these days.
The balancing of ballads and balls-to-the-wall rockers is a constant theme throughout the album and the band pull it off with stylish aplomb and a maturity beyond their years. The band’s aforementioned recent touring schedule has clearly paid dividends and has allowed them to tighten things up considerably and you will be hard pushed to find a rhythm section more in sync than Gaz Connor and Davide ‘Drake’ Bocci on Bass and Drums respectively. In the live arena Lexi Laine strikes an imposing figure on lead guitar, the material showcasing his talents with an all action style of fast hands, following locks and rippling abs whilst Izzy Trixx compliments Lane’s talents with her own rhythm guitar stylings that stick a proverbial ‘two-fingers’ up to any naysayers of the #MeToo movement.
However, the biggest weapon The Brink possesses in their quest for chart domination is their lead singer Tom Quick. The Sheffield native clearly enjoys his role in the band and appears more than happy to showcase his talents at the mike stand. Favourable comparisons to a young David Coverdale with smatterings of Joe Elliott and Bryan Adams come to mind and, if the band can keep this momentum, enthusiasm and progression going, there should be no barrier to The Brink sharing a stage, and ultimately inheriting the stage, from any of the aforementioned megastars.
Is rock dead? Not on this showing Mr Simmons.
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9 out of 10 stars
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Band Members;
Tom Quick - Vocals
Lexi Laine - Lead Guitar
Izzy Trixx - Rhythm Guitar
Gaz Connor - Bass
Davide Drake Bocci - Drums