Burner

"One for the Road"
(Arctic Music)  

Butt kicking hard rock that swaggers and staggers with whiskey-soaked confidence and aggression. The memorable southern-fried 70s rock riffs and gruffly melodic vocals (not to mention more than few deathly backing growls) bring to life the catchy songwriting in a way that has me thinking of Clutch (in the instrumental department at least; as Burner's lead vocalist, Clint Denny, goes for a more traditional delivery in contrast to that offered by Clutch's inimitable Neil Fallon) mixed with Halfway to Gone and even a bit of Orange Goblin at its barroom brawlin' best. The band is in top form on the midpaced, soulful drive of "Five Pills (and a bottle of whiskey)", where suave riffing and powerful vocal melodies feed off each other, occasionally dipping into psychedelic wah-wah trippiness that contrasts nicely with the more aggressive tenor of the majority of Burner's music. But for the most part, Burner sticks to a pounding uptempo rock format with plenty of rhythmic torque, brawny riffs, and catchy hooks. The one factor that doesn't seem to jive are the death metal styled backing growls which are particularly evident on songs like "No Regrets" and, to a lesser extent, on "Empty." While perhaps adding a bit of extremity and uniqueness to the performance, at the same time the match between that approach and Denny's much more melodic delivery lacks chemistry. At the same time, this remains a relatively minor problem in the greater scheme of things, as they are used in moderation. Good hard-hitting rock with heavy guitars and powerful vocals, and the ability to write memorable, catchy songs without even the faintest glimmer of trendiness infecting the album. It's a classic sound. For a reason. And Burner nails it with conviction and consistency.

More from the Online Metal Journal