This is Who We Are is the debut from Swedish '70s styled heavy rockers Riot Horse. Before you say it, yes, once again, another great new band playing exquisite retro sounds from the musical wonderland known as Sweden. Hard to fathom what must be going on over there, as just one killer band after another who have fully embraced the glorious sounds of the '70s rock scene keep popping up out of the woodwork. Riot Horse are comprised of Nille 'Neil' Schuttman (guitars), Andreas "Adde" Sydow (vocals), Jonas Langebro (drums) and Joacim Sandin (bass), and they've put together one hell of a ride here, 12 songs that deliver kick ass, bluesy heavy rock that just screams vintage every step of the way.
Just listen to the bruising Black Sabbath-meets-Led Zeppelin styled riffs of the instantly memorable "Bring 'em On", or the heavy, Aerosmith inspired raunch of "Miss Mississippi", for perfect examples of how this band has captured the sounds of a bygone era. Schuttman's awesome wah-wah licks lead in the crushing "Didn't See it Coming", an interesting marriage of Jimi Hendrix, Mountain, and Humble Pie, while Sydow's powerful vocals soar over waves of heavy riffs & atmospheric passages on the excellent hard rock and prog of "My Mountain". "Going Undercover" rumbles along like the bastard child of ZZ Top and Grand Funk Railroad, as the band dips into some metallic yet funky, blues based grooves. The near 9-minute "Shine" sounds like it could have come from a long lost recording from 1971, a late night jam between Zeppelin & Cactus, with searing lead guitar work and booze drenched vocals providing for plenty of drama. Things slow down for the emotional blues of "Hold Me", and "Torn" offers up some evil, almost doom styled riffing over classic hard rock rhythms (Black Sabbath & UFO fans take note!) for a potent, heavy number. The slide guitars come out for the slashing, Southern Rock styled number "Starlight", and the addicting grooves, unrelenting riffs, and catchy vocal hooks of "Medicine Man" recall classic AC/DC mixed with some of the sultriness of a young Robert Plant.
You have to love when a new band busts out of the gate and completely knocks you on your ass with their debut, and that's precisely what Riot Horse have done here. Metalville Records have a little gem on their hands with this one, and Riot Horse is a band that surely have a very bright future ahead of themselves. '70s hard rock lovers need to investigate this one immediately!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1. Get Your Hands UP
2. Bring'em On
3. Miss Mississippi
4. Didn't See It Coming
5. My Mountain
6. Going Undercover
7. Shine
8. Hold Me
9. Took My Soul Away
10. Torn
11. Starlight
12. Medicine Man
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