BLACKRAIN: Hot Rock Time Machine (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

For rights reasons, it was not possible to listen to the albums "A Lethal Dose Of..." (2011) and "It Begins" (2013) on streaming platforms. As it was also very difficult to obtain them in physical format, Blackrain decided to re-record around ten tracks from these opuses in order to offer them on a "Hot Rock Time Machine" that it would be a mistake to consider as the mark of a lack of inspiration. In fact, the quartet are already preparing their next album, due in 2025.

Nevertheless, it's hard to write pages about songs that fans already know, especially as most of them feature prominently on the combo's live setlists. Boosted by the arrival of Franky Costanza (ex-Dagoba, Les Tambours du Bronx) behind the drums, Swan and his band also benefit from the production of Hannes Braun (Kissin' Dynamite), who had already taken care of the sound of the excellent "Untamed" (2022). The shock is immediate on the anthemic 'Overloaded', which opens the opus with a blatant demonstration of Swan's progress on vocals. The backing vocals have also undergone a hormone treatment to make them more virile, leaving out the harmonies to gain in power. 'Wild Wild Wild' is another example of this treatment.

While production and sound remain the main changes compared to previous versions, some tracks benefit from a more obvious facelift. The ballad 'Nobody But You', for example, takes on a much greater scope than the original, giving it an intensity that rivals the best 80s exercises in the genre. Another highlight of the album is 'Revolution', which recaptures its original identity. Not the one recorded for "It Begins", when it was even renamed 'Re-evolution - New Generation', but the one the band had given it when it was created, and which Jack Douglas had distorted in 2013. With its Ennio Morricone ambience, this track also sees its pre-chorus modified.

So obviously, the exercise has its limits, and it will be difficult for fans to make it a pinnacle of Blackrain's discography. Nonetheless, questions of legality aside, this album's existence is amply justified. Not only will it enable those who have only recently discovered the French band to become acquainted with their unjustly underestimated beginnings, but it also gives a new lease of life to compositions whose effectiveness is further enhanced. - Official website

BLACKRAIN

HOT ROCK TIME MACHINE

AUTRE LABEL

HARD ROCK