Radkey - Dark Black Make Up
10/10
Back in 2013, the three Radke brothers absolutely blew Drenge off stage at NAC when they played Norwich Sound + Vision. Two years on, almost to the day, comes the debut album and what an absobleedinlute cracker it is. Radkey take the best of punk, hardcore, metal and hard rock, cut away most of the bullshit and flab, to create something sharp, energetic, heavy but gloriously melodic.
Dee has a deep, rich voice and plays searing punky-yet-bluesy guitar. Isaiah's bass is more than just a rhythm instrument, laying down friffs and melodies Lemmy would be proud of. The sound is anchored by Solomon's straight-ahead but never dull drumming. It is the strength of the choruses that really sets Radkey apart. I've not heard anything stronger than the title track, Love Spills or Feed My Brain this year.
If I have a criticism, it is that the lyrics do stray too close to 80's hair metal. Given the strength of the music, this is a minor quibble that can easily be ignored and there are far worse lyricists out there. This is heavy enough to appeal to the metalheads, energetic enough to appeal to punks but with enough pop nous to crossover to the mainstream. Please let it happen.
10/10
