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WOODBRIDGE
The Fire Inside
Self-released (2014)
Rating: 4.5/10

I’m rather sad to say that Swiss rockers Woodbridge tend to live up to their rather bland moniker. Their brand of “vintage rock ’n’ roll” is something that lacks edge and fire, in spite of the album title suggesting otherwise.

Woodbridge features vocalist Dominik Naef, guitarist Remo Cadalbert, bassist Roman Engler and drummer Pascal Kern. They’ve been around for more than five years now, and so I expected more from this nine-track platter.

In the end, it just offers a set of rather tepid, yet upbeat rockers that begin with the plodding ‘Born To Rumble’, which has a familiar air about it. The riffs drive hard and the percussion is solid, but the vocals are a tad off-putting as Naef bellows, “Can you feel the thunder? We’re born to rumble. We’re all going under”. In its simplicity, it’s rather ineffective.

Admittedly, I was somewhat surprised by the ballad ‘Don’t Hold Me Back’ – which works well with the guest female vocals – but it seems to come too early in the record, because after this the album fails to maintain that element of flair. As a ballad it’s certainly a scarf-waver, but those vocals of Naef just don’t sit comfortably with me and by the time ‘Forever Loud’ saunters on in, I’m rarely stirred.

Again the band attempt something epic, but it falls miserably short as they once again squander any opportunity they have with rather formulaic lyrics and predictable formulas. “Forever loud, forever proud” Naef groans, but the whole track is bereft of conviction as the album quickly wallows in that standard fare zone and continues its journey into the mediocre realms with the choppy ‘Four Wheels’ (which is only brightened by the excellent guitar work), the jangly sprightliness of ‘I Feel Free’, and ‘Lies’ which drags me deeper into the chambers of dullness.

The only real highlight of the opus is the strong guitar work of Remo Cadalbert, but other than that, The Fire Inside is a debut opus that ambles around as a “rock-by-numbers” exhibition. It’s safe and sound but never sassy, and this is because of those rather lukewarm vocal yawns and standard melodies which try so desperately to hip-shake but only do so with the half-decent strut of ‘Life’s Hot’, which, again – despite a strong melody – is let down by a vocal delivery that by this point begins to grate.

I’m guessing that Woodbridge set out to play basic, ballsy vintage rock but to deliver the message the band really does need to go up another two gears, because with ‘Lost In Paradise’ and the atrocious ‘Next Drink (Is On Me)’ the combo lack the creativity and bite. The latter of these numbers sounds like something R.E.M. would come up with and believe me, I do not like R.E.M.

The Fire Inside is about as a flat as a pancake, and the band is in desperate need of energy.

Neil Arnold

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