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BULLETBOYS
From Out Of The Skies

Frontiers (2018)
Rating: 7.5/10

Platinum-selling artists BulletBoys were one of those American heavy rock acts that never lived up to their potential in spite of a trio of solid early records. Their 90s career no doubt being affected by the grunge invasion, original member and vocalist Marq Torien has sailed on through numerous line-up changes and here were are, over 30 years since their inception, with a new opus.

Aided by guitarist Nick Rozz, bass player Chad MacDonald, and drummer Joaquin Revuelta (since replaced by Anthony “Tiny” Biuso), Torien brings us ten tracks recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Northridge, California.

The album is led by single ‘D-Evil’, which features guest vocals from Eagles Of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes. It’s a hard, driving slice of contemporary glam swagger featuring a catchy-as-Hell chorus, and is bolstered by a colourful promo video. Torien is his usual self, his chops both vocally and musically giving this exciting, energetic cut a youthful, playful and, dare I say it, funky flavour. There are also hints of Beautiful Creatures, and so what is clear is that BulletBoys is a band revitalised, moving with the times to slap a very modernized edge to their sound. But rather than be overwhelmed by contemporary sheen, the listener is instead enveloped by waves of killer grooves laced with dynamism and a surprising grit thanks to Torien’s fiery spouts.

From the off, From Out Of The Skies brings a superb balance between heavyweight grooves (‘Apocalypto’) and funkier, quirkier slaps (‘P.R.A.B.’), with doses of fragility thrown in the mix too (‘Losing End Again’). In a sense, I’m surprised that BulletBoys were never able to flow with the changes the 90s brought, because they’ve always added plenty of variety to their sound. However, this platter really does flow in all the right places; whether it’s from the riff flurry of ‘What Cha Don’t’ or the acoustic strains of ballad ‘Switchblade Butterfly’.

As expected, Torien’s posse do everything right, pumping up the volume when required to deliver those big rhythmic pulsating melodies, especially in the percussion department on the already mentioned ‘Apocalypto’ – the album’s heaviest moment. However, there is still that modernized edge, and even hints of Foo Fighters creep in, but Marq Torien has always cited their influence through hard times and closing ballad ‘Once Upon A Crime’ does seem to adhere a tad too much to modern poppier dynamics.

The end result, though, is a rather flavoursome outing boasting enough sway, swagger and soul (the Japanese edition even features a cool cover of The Temptations’ ‘Get Ready’ as a bonus track) to allow the band to appeal to a wide audience. However, the question remains as to whether BulletBoys, in spite of this new vitality, can reach the skies or remain grounded in a limbo that hasn’t relinquished its hold since the 90s.

Neil Arnold

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