After three opuses bringing the same conclusions, namely an undeniable talent but a lack of risk taking leading to a too great linearity, Inglorious saw its line-up shatter. It's the whole string section that has been changed with the arrival of Vinnie Colla on bass and the pair of guitarists composed of Dan Stevens and Danny De La Cruz. We will come back later on the importance of the integration of this last one, whose young age (19 years) should not occult the talent. With this new blood, Nathan James, Phil Beaver and their new bandmates release not one, but two new albums. The first one, entitled "Heroine", which gathers eleven covers as varied as surprising, and "We Will Ride", the real fourth opus that interests us here.
And for those who didn't dare to hope that the British quintet would finally release the handbrake, we will end the suspense by announcing that the dream has just come true. What a slap in the face when listening to the eleven tracks that make up this collection of hard rock hits that is still classic but that has finally integrated the elements that allow Inglorious to move up to the next division. Of course, the four star performance of Nathan James will not surprise anymore, but the frontman finally finds here the setting that allows him to confirm that he is really the best heir of David Coverdale and other Glenn Hughes. He even summons Ozzy Osbourne to the rank of his legendary inspirations during an unhealthy 'He Will Provide' with a bouncy riff and an atmospheric and worrying break. Propelled by the wind of freshness that his new musician companions seem to bring, Phil Beaver also lets his powerful and groovy playing blossom.
But the real revelation of "We Will Ride" is Danny De La Cruz who, like the beginning of the video of the single 'She Won't Let You Go', seems to be the one who awoke the English band. Multiplying the incendiary riffs and offering awesome soli ('Cruel Intentions', 'Do You Like It', etc.), he allows Inglorious to leave its comfort zone and to propose compositions often playing on the contrasts between calm verses and angry choruses, and especially of a variety not altering the coherence of the whole. Whether the quintet ventures on the ground of a modern and tortured heavy ('Messiah'), whether it flirts with the southern rock ('Medusa' and its bottleneck), or whether it even comes to titillate a Dream Theater (without the progressive-technical component nevertheless) on an ambitious 'We Will Meet Again', the quintet always comes out of it with flying colors and carries away the adhesion without reserve.
"We Will Ride" is therefore the album of a confirmation that we didn't expect anymore from Nathan James and his band. Inglorious finally gives a strong identity to its classic rock which is enriched by a variety and an ambition which were cruelly missing until then. Enthusiastic, powerful and bewitching, this opus will enchant all the amateurs of the genre to whom it opens new horizons.