ALBUM REVIEW: PISTON Carry Rock Home With Self-Titled Album

8th July 2019 admin

PISTON are a band that have been making their name on the circuit and will be releasing their highly anticipated self-titled album on Friday 13 September 2019.

Does their album live up to the hype that so many bands before have promised but not always delivered?

With this ten track album, PISTON deliver by the bucket loads and more. They are definitely a band to keep your eye on.

“Dynamite” kicks of the album with a fast paced gutsy piece of rock that will have you shaking you head and jumping round the house and shouting along. This is the musical version of an energy drink – you will be up out of your seat before you know it.

“Rainmaker” is a ballsy bluesy piece of rock that is pure hard rock blues heaven. It is reminiscent of AC/DC around their “Fly on the Wall” period but updated for the 2019 audience. It is foot tapping and tub thumping like it should be.

“Go Now” immediately transports you to the 80’s and west coast rock ala Van Halen hair metal, with that slow groin thrusting swagger, pouty huskier vocals and polished riffs. A great track that will make you think it’s the middle of summer (or that the sun is actually out if you live in the UK).

“Carry Us Home” slows the tempo down with an introductory acoustic set that is pure Poison or Motley Crue, with that slow southern melancholic swagger, bourbon in hand, cowboy hat tipped in that cocky manner and ponder the What if’s on a relationship gone bad. When the electric guitars kick in it just charges the whole song up ten fold and the solo is just perfect for the style of this track.

“One More Day” has that bit more punkish attitude and energy. It just plants the foot on the accelerator and only stops when the track ends. The aggressive vocals and guitars plough through the speakers at high speed and rumble on out the building.

The beginning of “Beyond Repair” has that “Iron Man” feel before it kicks of in an entirely different blues rock direction. It has a superb thumping rhythm, in an almost tribal drums way in its delivery. It is a fantastic track that will just not allow you to sit still.

“Leave If You Dare” has such a beautiful southern blues rock edge to it, and once again you might just picture a good bourbon on the seat beside you as you drive your pick truck to a cowboy filled full on barbeque in the middle of a giant Mid-West field. It has such an wild west outlaw feel about it.

“Blow It Away” pulls you back to blues rock but with a funk infusion that just works. Full of metal energy, chunky riffs and catchy rhythms it is a great track to rock out to.

“Let Us Rise” is a fantastic anthemic track that just feels perfect for a live show and its guaranteed the crowd will lift the roof singing their lungs out along with this. It is an uplifting song that is as joyous as it is pure rock.

“Into The Night” is a track on the lighter side of rock with a catchy chorus and almost light hypnotic rhythms with almost U2 like guitar sounds, but with solid chunky drums raising the noise level at the right moments. This is quite anthemic as well and just sounds, well, wonderfully hopeful.

There are two remixes on the album, that of “One More Day” and “Rainmaker“, and while they are down as remixes, they are not some DJ remix or completely different take on the album version ala KLF. They are fuller sounding with a solid, heavy, bassier sound, and could almost be said to be better than the album version, as they seem more to be in keeping with rockers and metallers looking for that almost earthier feel.

PISTON’s self-titled album is chock full of similar genres that don’t sound out of place next to each other and all grounded on the foundation of hard rock blues. It is a well crafted album that makes you feel you have actually gotten your money’s worth with ten tracks plus two remixes. PISTON have landed an incredible album for 2019.

It is a definite must have album of the year.