Junkyard Drive - Sin And Tonic (EN)

I always do it the same way when I review an album: I listen to the complete album before I read the info sheet. That's my way to visualize the music impartially. So I do it again and once it started my first thought was: "What the hell has Schøn Poulsen (Volbeat) done with his voice?"

As his voice reminded me instantly of Volbeat's frontman. Later, I looked at the info of the label and saw that Junkyard Drive are Danish and thus also landsman of Poulsen.

Well, be that as it may. The debut "Sin & Tonic" sounds as if the little brother of Volbeat would release his own stuff now and this should surely not be judged negatively. It rather presents down-to-earth Hard Rock for three quarters of an hour and on top it's crossed by a good portion of Sleaze.

However, the basic framework is formed by drums and distorted guitars and creates true intensive songs. Lively tunes and good vibes make the whole entertaining and one just can't help listening to the full album directly again only to ensure that it should not come to an end. Obviously, there are many interspersed solos that are really "dirty" due to the utilization ratio.

Be it the opener "If You Wanna Rock Me" that thrills you instantly and warps you into sing along even though you don't know the lyrics or "Bone Dry Jessie" that fires one up by leading the chorus directly in one's memories. It doesn't matter which song it is, one could pick it apart and would come the same result, which goes: Damn good job, guys!

And know there comes the "Drama Queen" rifling through the speakers and brings the band's joy of playing into action. Whereas "Natural High" has a great touch of Blues with curbed speed and pressure. This is where the bass attains its power.

Of course I don't want to leave the highlight of this album unmentioned. The wonderful ballad "Geordie" bribes through expressive vocals rendered with a little rough voice. This song if full of emotion and creates an atmosphere that gets under the skin. This song alone is worth enough to buy this album! Fuckin' awesome!

By the way, the album is produced live and they have succeeded it outstandingly. The sound has a good and clear mixing, but not too good and not too clear. It's perfect to top the mixing off. Søren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Electric Guitars, Mike Tramp) is responsible for that.

Conclusion:
Junkyard Drive's debut comes as a real bombshell. This album offers everything that this genre represents and knows to satisfy from the first note until the last. The fact, that the album reminds me of Volbeat at the beginning doesn't change anything and is rather a positive rating. Rarely a debut impressed me more than this one.

Rating: 9,5/10

Recommendation: Everything