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BLACKBIRD
Of Heroes And Enemies

Pure Rock (2014)
Rating: 7/10

Blackbird care not for modern dynamics, or creating a new style of metal; they merely just knuckle down, crank the amps up to 666 and rock the fuck out. Of Heroes And Enemies is the sort of well-oiled album you’d slap on before going out, and then realising that your night isn’t that great, you merely come back and slap it back on, such is its ballsy, alcoholic fury.

There is no need for the complicated things in life when you have Germany’s Blackbird. This rocking quartet has basically turned around, and said, “Okay, so we love AC/DC, we love Guns N’ Roses… Let’s just put it all together in a blender and make a cocktail and that’ll be our sound.”

Right, so the band never actually said this, but when you take a trip through the ten tracks on offer here you’ll be reaching for the Jack Daniels quicker than you can scream “I’m back in blaaaack…!”

Well, I can hear some of you sceptics out there asking “Why on earth do we need another band churning out formulaic riffs, generic vocals and covering topics that have been vomited time and time again since the inception of metal?” Well, my only response, as is always the case with this sort of stuff, is that if it’s done correctly then it can make for a sweaty experience.

Sure, Blackbird aren’t doing anything new and if, like me, you’re a huge fan of The Last Vegas and Buckcherry, then you might think that this opus pales considerably in comparison. If, like me though, you also sometimes just want to throw the television out of the hotel (or living room!) window to a soundtrack of booze, birds and good ol’ fashioned cock swingin’ rock, then you have to give this album a spin.

And yes, before you start moaning again, I realise that vocalist Angus Dersim sounds like AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, especially on opener ‘Fire Your Guns’. I also realise that the riffs throughout this album sound like so many other bands – bands who were doing this sort of thing years ago, in fact – ie Rhino Bucket, Buckcherry, (Johnny Crash, anyone?) etc, but also realise that this album offers up some really good solid numbers in the form of ‘Not About You’, ‘Ride With The Rockers’ and ‘Deuce’.

Dersim is joined by rhythm guitarist Bora Karakus, bassist Fritzi Delli and drummer Steffen T., and what they lack in originality can sure as hell be made up by their sheer determination and insistence. Of course, whether that’s enough to carve out a career we can only wait and see. After all, there were thousands of bands doing this type of boogie-based rock years ago and most of them were better than these guys, but I’m not going to argue with the struttin’ ‘Don’t Fool Me’ or the Faster Pussycat-meets-AC/DC scratch of ‘Dusk Till Dawn’. By the time closer ‘Right To Rock’ reaches its final crash, bang wallop, you may at least find your foot tapping uncontrollably.

Of Heroes And Enemies is not of the calibre of The Last Vegas, Beautiful Creatures and so on, and it is a record that is about as AC/DC as it gets but let us not get complex. Blackbird exist to rock ’n’ roll. While I’m sure they’ll make a few enemies along the way, they may also be perceived as heroes to others, so fair play to them for havin’ the balls.

Neil Arnold

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