The debut by this Northern Irish quartet is so reminiscent of
Led Zeppelin
in some respects that you sometimes feel like it's a
tribute band that happens to do original material. Much of the similarity is due to the high-pitched, aggressive vocal tremor of lead singer
Cormac Neeson
. The band also plays with a riff-centered bluster that straddles hard rock and heavy metal, though they're a little more metal-heavy than
Zeppelin
, and not as inclined to vary the pace with folk-blues elements. This, unsurprisingly, is a large part of what makes them inferior to
, even discounting their unoriginality. There are hints of blues and gospel in a track like
"Preachin',"
and slower, more reflective passages in cuts like
"Always,"
where the milder influence of
Free
and
Paul Rodgers
also makes itself felt. Overall, however, the classic hard rock-molded strut is a little unrelentingly high-octane, and the riffs and songwriting not up to the level of their obvious inspirations. ~ Richie Unterberger