I introduced you to the Welsh from 'Son of Man' with their second studio recording 'State Of Dystopia' in 2020 and they released a new album at the end of April 2024. In the meantime, guitarist and bassist 'Glenn Quinn' gave way to the original bassist 'Ray Jones', leaving 'George Jones' to handle the guitar parts. As I had already mentioned in my review of 'State Of Dystopia', 'Son of Man' perpetuates the best of rock and hard rock of the 70s/80s and this 'Gaslight' is still here to prove it to us, every original composition recalling the atmospheres of major groups from these periods. So, are you ready for a little trip in the time machine with melodies that stick directly in your head?
'Down' welcomes us with a 'Floydian' introduction, 'Animals' period then continues with a first well-paced mid-tempo setting the headbanging machine in motion, then, 'Stuck' offers us an introduction with riffs à la 'AC/DC' for a strong hard rock brulot that feels good and takes us back a few decades. Without transition, the ballad 'Can't Stop Loving You' is a model of the genre and, even if it gives the impression of having already heard it thousands of times (for my part, I have ballads in my head from 'Eagles'), highlights a magnificent vocal performance from 'Richie Galloni', then, 'Far From Home' is typical of the arrival of 80s sound effects brought by electronics and shows a luminous and carefree face , the keyboards of 'Marco James' adding to this optimistic eighties climate. Make way for the title song which takes us back to the beginning of hard rock by offering a heavy tempo which accelerates the rhythm in the second part of the title in the style of a 'Highway Star' from 'Deep Purple', then, 'The 103' continues in this direction with a very heavy bass line that will make you lose your head with so much headbanging. New break ballad with the melodic gem 'There Will Come a Day' with melodic lines which could be a fusion of 'Eagles' and 'Barclay James Harvest' and which give us some shivers of happiness, then, 'Tomorrow' is a semi -acoustic just as moving, 'Richie Galloni' once again showing his vocal talent to convey beautiful emotions and the 'Floydian' guitar solo of 'George Jones' triggering a few additional chills. Follows 'Hiding' which this time takes us into some very good blues/rock, the catchy rhythm and the unifying melody making it yet another memorable track, then, 'The Road' is the longest composition of the album in the form of a mid-tempo with a well-defined tempo which benefits from a beautiful instrumental section in the second part bringing some snippets of progressive and 'Thanks For The Ride' concludes this very beautiful album with an instrumental which highlights the melodic talent of the group and which offers us a calm first part which then gains momentum with a finale incorporating very beautiful choirs.
In summary, no need to draw a picture to tell you that this latest album 'Gaslight' from the Welsh 'Son of Man' is still a total success and that it represents a rock best-of release and varied hard rock from the 70s/80s with very catchy melodies which, icing on the cake, allows immediate accessibility which should please a wide audience... | |
