Black Star Riders – Wrong Side Of Paradise
Black Star Riders – Wrong Side Of Paradise
Earache Records
Release Date: 20/01/23
Running Time: 41:09
Review by Simon Black
8/10
I first saw the reincarnated Thin Lizzy at the sadly short-lived High Voltage festival back in 2011. It was an odd event, and only ran for two years, although ultimately the festival was more memorable for the fact that Amy Winehouse had carked it the night before it started (which we found out whilst there) and by the fact they ran out of beer about mid-afternoon on the Saturday afternoon, which may be one of the explanations as to why it’s probably not around anymore (that, and bankruptcy).
However, one of the stand-out performances from that weekend was Thin Lizzy. They dragged that event out of the doldrums and delivered a set of Lizzy classics with a slightly more up to date edge. I was oblivious to the fact that they had even rebooted with Ricky Warwick out front, but I was struck at the time as to what an inspired choice that was, given his soulful gravelly Hard Rock voice fitted the music perfectly. Having done as much as you can do as your own tribute act, the band morphed into Black Star Riders as a means of writing and recording again without all the baggage that went with the Lizzy brand. So same sound; new name – at least at first…
A lot has happened since.
Five new studio albums for a start, each incrementally evolving away from that Thin Lizzy template as one by one the members of the line-up I saw back on that day left, leaving only Warwick standing twelve years later. But that’s OK, because Black Star Riders were always meant to be an evolving act. That said, if you are an ageing Thin Lizzy fan coming to them fresh for the first time, then you might get a bit of a shock, as there’s not an over-widdley dual guitar solo or an Irish folk melody to be had these days. To be honest existing Black Star Riders fans might raise a few eyebrows too, but then this has been snowballing for a while and it’s quite a stylistic jump forward. Or you could just open your minds and ears to this record…
Again, I don’t have a problem with that evolution, because what this is a really solid, and thoroughly modern Hard Rock album led by a man whose musical history is way larger than any incarnation of this project. If anything, this feels like a distillation of the best elements of the whole of Warwick’s career, with that Lizzy / BSR tone and vibe still hanging in there but augmented by everything The Almighty or his numerous solo albums brought to the genre, whilst still sounding absolutely of the current times. The forty odd minutes of run time don’t hang about, with the songs delivering focussed, punchy and stripped back sounding Rock ’n’ Roll. In fact, that peeled back-to-basics sound this four-piece incarnation of the band delivers really works well. And I mean really well.
Although opening in the song closest to the Lizzy root with the title track, the music branches off in a number of directions. ‘Better Than Saturday Night’ is another one that evokes Phill Lynott, but then Warwick’s been singing his tunes for slightly longer than the man himself did, so that’s no surprise, but with half of the band being new faces things are going to evolve, and evolve they do. The somewhat eclectic cover of ‘Crazy Horses’ will definitely raise a few eyebrows, but it’s a lovely off the wall moment that no-one saw coming and works a treat, and I particularly enjoyed the political nudge of ‘Green And Troubled Land’, because in this day and age you need to.
What “Wrong Side of Paradise” does and does really well, is stand on its own two feet as an album from a band that happens to have a lot of history, the third chapter of which might just be right here, right now. Roll on the tour in the spring.
‘Better Than Saturday Night’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Wrong Side of Paradise
02. Hustle
03. Better Than Saturday Night
04. Riding Out the Storm
05. Pay Dirt
06. Catch Yourself On
07. Crazy Horses
08. Burning Rome
09. Don’t Let the World (Get in the Way)
10. Green and Troubled Land
11. This Life Will Be the Death of Me
LINE-UP:
Ricky Warwick – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Sam Wood – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Robbie Crane – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Zak St. John – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
