Revolution Highway: Revolution Highway

As Grooveyard Records heads towards an impressive 20 years of releasing mighty fine hard rocking blues and grooves, so they celebrate by releasing seven new titles from across the range of styles they cover. Right at the head of that pack is Revolution Highway, a bullish, bold but beautifully poised outfit whose self titled debut album is set to make a lasting mark. Now, if I tell you that this group are based round the undoubted six string talent of Stavros Papadopoulos, you might wonder what the difference is between Revolution Highway and the numerous other bands - Super Vintage, Freerock Saints, Hard Driver, Universal Hippies - the fret-master has brought into being. The answer is simple, if unexpected; for while the Rev’s are still a blues based hard rock outfit dripping with blistering fret excursions, there’s a more commercial, and even at times sleazy edge at play here. Think Led Zeppelin swaggering with the strut of Guns N’ Roses and honest grit of Tesla, all while slinging it low in the way ZZ Top used to and you might well be on your way to mastering the sound revealed with a flourish. Then factor in what is possibly Papadopoulos’s most accomplished, fluent and fiery set of guitar solos to date and you know that this explosive album might well be the one to take him over the top.

The guitarist isn’t alone however, singer David Fefolt, formerly with the likes of Firewolfe, Masi and Fifth Angel (among others), the perfect frontman for this energetic rock n’ roll. And the seasoned howler positively revels in the urgency of “Into The Darkness� and threat of “Sister Of The Devil�. Completing the line-up are the duo of bassist John Christopoulos and drummer Chris Lagios, who are the sort of solid, dependable and when the need arises, expansive rhythm section this style of music needs to thrive.

Throughout this disc the high standard simply never drops but whether via the romp n’ roll of “I Need Your Love�, where the riffs are set to stun, or the considered sting of “Know Mercy, Know Love�, where this album really hits home is through the depth of emotion that is aligned to the exceptional musicality on show. “Losing You Again� sits mid-paced and proud, “The Streets Of Hollywood� glistens and grooves, while the album’s title track is a seven minute journey that confirms the class of what’s on show - frets burning, beats pounding, vocals uplifting. What with the rapid fire nature of the albums to arrive from the guitar of Stavros Papadopoulos, you could be forgiven for thinking that this fret-slinger might be spreading himself too thin. Revolution Highway proves that theory utterly redundant and yet, you can’t quite help but wonder what might happen if he decided to really concentrate on one band and get them out on the road and in people’s faces. If that were to happen I think we might well see a revolution right along the highways. We can but hope.

Track Listing
1. RENEGADE

2. YOUNG AND WILD

3. INTO THE DARKNESS

4. THE STREETS OF HOLLYWOOD

5. ROLLIN' TRAIN

6. SISTER OF THE DEVIL

7. I NEED YOUR LOVE

8. ALL THE WAY DOWN

9. KNOW MERCY, KNOW LOVE

10. LOSING YOU AGAIN

11. REVOLUTION HIGHWAY

Added: December 23rd 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Revolution Highway @ The Grooveyard
Hits: 2389
Language: english

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