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LAWLESS
Rock Savage

Escape Music (2013)
Rating: 8/10

I think a majority of people who first saw the band name and that album title probably thought this was going to be some type of Steel Panther sort of metal parody. What with so many bands attempting to recreate the 80s it wouldn’t have surprised me either, but Lawless are a very different kettle of metal.

This UK quartet is fronted by Paul Hume, who you may know from classic metal band Demon. Hume is also accompanied by Demon drummer Neil Ogden, so immediately I’m drawn to this opus, wondering if this is going to be a slab of vintage rock or something altogether different.

Well, Hume also plays guitar, but the leads for the band are provided by Persian Risk axeman Howie G., and the thunder bass comes courtesy of Josh ‘Tabbie’ Williams (HeadrusH), so these ingredients should give you a clue that Lawless are very much a hard rockin’ band.

According to the press release, Lawless was put together by Ogden and Hume at the end of 2012 to “shake up rock music on the European circuit”, and one spin of this suggests they’ve achieved their goal. Whether it’s intended or not I don’t know, but Rock Savage takes me right back to the late 80s – late night radio, sweeping rhythms, and sultry vocals – and the polished production of Hume and Ogden is just right for this type of heavy rock.

“It’s Friday night, the beats alright, we don’t care if you don’t get it” croons Hume on ‘Heavy Metal Heaven’ over a killer rockin’ riff and I’m there, right back in those magical days. Lawless are a real metal band. Sure, it’s on the lighter side, which is why it fits into that late 80s scene which bridged the gap between classic rock and hair metal, but once you hear those soaring vocals and the lines “We’re livin’ in a heavy metal heaven”, you’ll be wishing you never sold those Whitesnake and Scorpions albums.

It just about sums up heavy metal that only the veterans of the scene can save us from the mediocre revival acts and great pretenders. Lawless is a band high on melody but it’s not just about the softer side of rock. Howie G.’s solos are staggering, pure metal magic as he saunters across the ears on ‘Black Widow Ladies’, a typically 80s yet crisp, simmering track with its slow building tempo, tumbling drums and that Whitesnake type of pomp.

However, the band also effortlessly adopt a glam sway to the sound, especially on that sleazy chorus, but if it’s a full-on metal attitude you want then ‘F.O.A.D.’ (hell, I only thought thrash bands adopted the term “Fuck off and die”?!!) will have you rockin’ into the night. The same could also be said for the drivin’ ‘Misery’ with its ferocious guitar, but where the band really does shine is on the archetype hair metal candle waver ‘S.O.S.’. Paul Hume’s vocals are incredibly warm and sultry as the guitars cut deep and build to that immense chorus. Coupled with the pensive drums and enigmatic solos, ‘S.O.S.’ is hard rock played for keeps – the quartet showcasing their talents but also able to combine a modern, polished feel with traditional rock shades.

‘Rock ‘N’ Roll City’, ‘Step In’ (with its Def Leppard-meets-hair metal party swagger) and the weighty ‘Scream’ give the listener such a variety of moods to tune into, all bolstered by that soulful vocal and constant driving weight.

‘Where Heroes Fall’ is a huge, sweeping metal track that builds to an expressive crescendo, but the band can’t leave the speakers without reminding us what we’re here for, and the pounding ‘Metal Time’ transports us back to those Twisted Sister days of rockin’ rebellion with that cheeky guitar sound and Hume’s lively vocal. “When the bell rings, only one thing on his mind… it’s metal time!”, Hume wails, and we’re delivered with a thump back to reality. But can you resist another spin of this slab of 80s influenced rock? I can’t.

Neil Arnold

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