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HOUSE OF X
House Of X

Escape Music (2014)
Rating: 8/10

House Of X – formerly known as X-UFO – is a British posse consisting of Danny Peyronel (lead vocals; ex-UFO, ex-Heavy Metal Kids), Laurence Archer (guitar / backing vocals; ex-Phil Lynott’s Grand Slam, ex-UFO, ex-Stampede), Rocky Newton (bass / backing vocals; ex-Lionheart, ex-MSG) and Clive Edwards (drums; ex-UFO, ex-Wild Horses, ex-Lionheart). So as one can see by the experience of those musicians named, this was always going to be a groove-based winner.

For fans of deep, soulful and catchy melodic hard rock then look no further than this 12-track affair. Expressive vocals, engaging tempo shifts, evocative riffage and classy musicianship all round is what this is all about.

I was immediately turned onto this record after hearing the superb ‘Martian Landscape’ which props up the mid-section of this engrossing opus. For me, with its opening riff, House Of X somehow reminds me of a latter day Black Sabbath as the Birmingham titans marched their way through the 90s. The riffs roll like some oily serpent cavorting in the frothing waves before the powerful vocals make their way through the foam. However, as the vocals rise there is an almost cosmic passion about this glorious track with its vague doomy plays and hints on traditional yet soulful heavy rock.

And this down-to-earth sprig spatters what turns out to be a fantastic, embryonic hard rock record. The album opens with the excellent and instantly memorable ‘Do Me Wrong’, which sounds as if it was recorded around the early 80s such is its nature to exhibit silky, yet driving vocals and that almost funky guitar edge. I’m almost intrigued by the brief slo-mo (intentional?) take on Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ as Danny Peyronel barks “where do we go now?”, but for the most part it’s just a robust, mid-tempo bruiser which takes us to the hastier ‘No More Tequila’ with its bubbling bass and Edwards’ persistent drum plod. I’m hearing Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Sweet, Saxon, and in fact just about every great British band here – House Of X keeping it simple yet so damn catchy throughout, fusing some killer leads with shuffling boogie rock.

The hip-shaking swagger of ‘Long Arm Of The Law’ is equally potent with its snappy rhythms, while ‘No Way Home’ has more of a simmer in its groove, hinting at Whitesnake. And those cool, sassy riffs just keep on rolling into the ears as the rock ‘n’ roll beat of ‘The Road Less Troubled’ comes sweeping across the sweaty dance floor leaving a trail of fire. My personal favourite though is ‘Alive’, which regains that darker edge with its slow building beginning and Peyronel’s effortless, yet almost whispering rasp. ‘Busted’ is another classy rocker, driving straight to the hilt like a bullet to the ears, while ‘House Of Lies’ boasts another sizzling riff.

As debut platters go, House Of X is somewhat modest, but this is a band that are very confident in its own talent and more than happy to let the music do the talking instead of relying on gimmicks. This is a very good hard rockin’ album for which the word “steady” was made, and while the guys may not thank me for such an unrewarding word it’s simply a testament as to how rigidly consistent this composition is, and it’s one that rarely detracts from its path and rarely falters either.

Neil Arnold

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