I was pretty excited about hearing this album from Nottinghams NG26 largely due to being impressed a few years ago when seeing them supporting KILL 2 THIS but they have really dragged their feet in getting this release out.
The wait for this album has been a while then but it's obvious from the off that the time has been really well spent honing and crafting a massive and tight guitar sound to accompany and compliment the impressive vocals offered up by front man Chris Topley.
I can honestly see this album splitting metal fans right down the middle in respect to views - many are much more interested in the all out heaviness of acts like Mastodon and Slayer but flip the coin and the other camp are suckers for a more accessible melodic vocal lead sound and this is where NG26 sit. In a nutshell if you are a fan of bands like Shine Down, Papa Roach and Alter Bridge then this is a band that will turn your crank in the right direction.
Bring Back The Day kicks things off in ear shredding fashion and by the time we hit the 5th track Look To The Sky the catchiness rating is already hitting the high numbers - they are able throw a hook into proceedings almost at will and in this business thats no bad thing. All Fades Away is my favourite track and if I was to suggest just one track to judge this bands merits on I would choose this one - killer guitar licks, powerful drums and a chorus to die for!
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Keeping up this high standard is a pretty tall order for any band and inevitably the last 2 tracks are fillers in comparison to the rest of the album but a solid 8 good tunes out of 10 is a damn good hit rate in anyones books and for a debut its even more impressive.
I would be lying if I said this was anything better than a really good first album - they will need to offer something more original for sure going forward if they wish to really make a real mark on the scene but that said it really is a good first album and certainly hints at a promising and exciting future.
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