Album review – THE BURNING CROWS “Behind The Veil”

Well, hello there The Burning Crows, and why haven’t I checked you out before? Definitely my mistake, now rectified. “Behind The Veil” is The Burning Crows’ first full length album, after a well-received EP (“Never Had It So Good”), and it’s a rousing (sometimes arousing), rollicking, rocking ride. The music has the sexy groove and strut of 1970s big-boys like Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones, blended with the big-stage shine of 1980s Def Leppard and early Bon Jovi (think “Bad Medicine”), all of it stirred up with the band’s own high-energy, live-wire performance and inspired musicianship. Add front-man Whippz’ powerhouse vocals – a sweet and hot, classic rock’n’roll voice that is like a cup of hot chocolate spiked with a nice shot of booze – and you have something that is definitely enjoyable to consume.

The Burning Crows have a terrific, big-stage sound on this album, but the band has also kept enough raw energy, and heart and soul to keep it interesting and avoid shellacking the life out of their music. You can still taste their live-performance through the recording, and that is a definite strength for a band that reportedly puts on one heck of a show.

Things kick off with two terrific tracks: “High”, full of rowdy guitars and rock’n’roll wails; and the fantastic power-rocker “All The Way” with more vocal brilliance, some more terrific riff-power, and an irresistible, sing-along friendly chorus. This track is the first single from the album, and with good reason, because it’s a real kicker.

There are really too many good tracks to mention here, but I give special gold stars to the stomping and rollicking “Fallin’”, the flat-out fabulous “Say My Name” with a distinct 1980s swing and twist to it provided by the shiny, spiky riffs and pumped up backup vocals.

“The Queen” is another track to love, with its speeding, exhilarating guitar intro, and sleazed up swagger. However, my very favorite track might just be “Devil May Care” – it has a slinky, slow stripper pole swing to it, all saucy and bluesy, making it one heck of a sexy tune with some pierce your heart beautiful vocals and strings. The album’s title track is another kicker, the kind of tune that will give any party a swift kick in the rear-end.

“Behind The Veil” seamlessly incorporates the tracks from the band’s debut-EP, which is a nice treat for those of us who were not paying attention back then. Old and new, this entire album is solid, but if you twist my arm, I’ll say that I prefer the newer material just a smidgen: it feels just a bit more mature and fleshed out – a natural progression for any band. The album is released June 17th – mark your calendars, you’ll want to make an appointment with The Burning Crows, some great speakers, and a beverage of your choice,

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Lineup

• Whippz: vocals, guitars
• Lance Daniels: guitars, backing vocals
• Will Lockett: bass, backing vocals
• Chris Chapman: drums, percussion

Track-list

1. High
2. All The Way
3. *You, Me, Tonight
4. *Time
5. Fallin’
6. So Wrong
7. Here I Am
8. Say My Name
9. The Queen
10. Devil May Care
11. *Slow Up, Get Down
12. Behind The Veil
13. *Going Down
14. *Best Damn Everything

* =  Also on the EP “Never had it so good”’

(This review was originally published at Hard Rock Nights.)

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