‘There’s a rich, proud history of rock music descending from the Welsh valleys and now HIMALAYAS are looking to ascend the path laid out before them by the likes of Manic Street Preachers and Stereophonics to become the biggest rock band in the UK.
With the release of Bad Star, the band are making a statement of intent that no riff is too wild, no bassline is too funky and no sound will be bigger than HIMALAYAS and you know what? They just about pull it off.
Working with producer Pete Hutchings, whose back catalogue includes rock royalty like Royal Blood, the group have captured the sound that has been so elusive for so many of their peers, retaining the energy of a live show and translating it to an LP without losing any of the raw energy of the there and then performance.
Bad Star comes out all guns blazing through Beneath The Barrel; a hip bassline and instantly catchy chorus set the tone, while Hung Up is a relentless 150 second blast of rock adrenalin that never lets you up for air.
Joe Williams’ vocals are powerful yet strangely familiar, comparable to a number of front men over the last couple of decades, it’s almost as if he’s still trying to find his own voice but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it adds a sense of variation to each track.
Surrender will blow your ears off with its fuzzy QOTSA esque guitar licks, whilst A Brand New God climaxes the record in style with what is an anthemic banger perfect for the summer festival circuit.
The album is most reminiscent of another classic sophomore record, Muse’s Origin of Symmetry which can only be a good thing, having such an ambitious influence this early in their run. It’s got the massive stadium filling sound, most notably on Cave Paintings.
Bad Star is strongest in its variety, each track feels like a true stand alone, there’s no filler, and although it doesn’t always hit the same heights, the band could not be accused of phoning it in. It’s rock but radio friendly rock, the kind which has sent many bands soaring into the Radio 1 stratosphere and HIMALAYAS might well be next.’
Comments are closed.