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THE RATTLEBACKS
Kink
Independent Release

To quote the maestro of rock stardom-ness. His holy bassist, Mr. Nikki Sixx, and the should be infamous answering machine message left for the musical prodigy, producer and songwriter to the stars, Mr. Butch Walker with regards to his (now defunct) band THE MARVELOUS 3 and their final, yet glorious, long play release Ready, Sex, Go!, whereas Mr. Sixx intones his sheer, unbridled, and enthusiastic glee, "Fuck! Your fucking band is bad-ass. Call me! Fuck! I'm blown away, man. That second song knocked my dick in the dirt. Bye."

And, that prattle, dear readers, is as befitting as any sentiment of this author can muster on his first, second, third, and/or fiftieth take (for that regard) when detailing this, oh so filthy EP entitled Kink from this fresh as a daisy quintuplet THE RATTLEBACKS.

Let's take a short trip in the way back machine for a brief introduction THE RATTLEBACKS are a Brighton, England based 5 piece band that has a born on date of 2021. A lengthy search for the right vocalist to take the songs the boys had already crafted and had in the can, a need soon to filled in spades and as we will soon discover, took those tunes into the stratospheric location they reside in currently. As we delve deeper into the band's history, it seems guitarists Coxy and Max have been lifelong chums and through their shared admiration of music started THE RATTLEBACKS in 2021 and after a lengthy search, in 2023 were fortunate to see their new front man performing in a live setting, and viola, your new obsession reached it's current and final form.

Let us saunter into the EP, Kink, and fingers crossed I can do the band the justice they deserve as these 4 songs are utterly diabolically catchy, hook ladened, and just about as perfect as perfect can be.

Right out of the gate hits the listener in the maw with a haymaker that would have given Iron Mike's a run for his money in the opener "Rattleback". Oof. Sleazy, heavy, gritty, and downright tasty. Seth rolls us in with a befitting triplet and then the dual guitars create a rhythm that hearkens other period practitioners, where neither guitar travels the exact same path, a nice touch and a missing element in a number of new bands repertoire, but Max and Coxy seem to be heir apparent to the Slash and Izzy crown for the 90's crowd, or Andy McCoy and NASTY SUICIDE for those 80's kids. Heck how's about that dastardly duo from KIK, Ronnie Younkins and Brian Forsythe? Oh, and equally as "influential" (?), that TESLA duo of Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch. I think you get the picture and Max and Coxy do everyone mentioned (and then some) the justice and respect they undoubtedly deserve. "Rattleback" is heavy, melodic and Josh's voice fits the music perfectly as he creates his own signature sound, but stands on the shoulders of his influences and doesn't steer away from dropping an inflection or 2 that makes the listeners ears perk up a little more extra. The chorus is catchy, and the song smokes. The held note ending speaks to the live recordings of this EP the band details. "Amon", is next and it begins with a little trickery of a heavily distorted almost slide guitar, but that segues into another master class in sleazy hard rock. Again, very befitting of any and all 80's and 90's hard rock heroes, but alas again, the boys make it their own. The solos in "Amon" are brilliant. Max shreds and the pinched harmonic slide at the outro of the main solo just tells you how bad ass of a player he is and shows you who his influences are. The chorus will never leave you. "As a God. You know I'm overrated". Fellas, put this on a t-shirt stat. Mad props to bassist Jack on the truly tasty bass slides in the solos outro, so funky and fits really, really well. Another treatment one can only assume was a key element to the live recording as you can feel just how into the songs the boys were. Check out the video on KNAC.COM HERE.

As we fall into the second half of the EP, "Burn It Down" begins with a real laid back, but you know it's only a ruse, intro that reminds me of SKID ROW's "Monkey Business" and then after a gaggle of cymbal rolls and trills, on cue, Max and Coxy fall into the verse rhythm. "Burn It Down" stays the course of the first 2 songs. It is heavy, dirty, sleazy, powerful, soulful and pre-solo breakdown adds a real nice layer and tempo switch up, only to fall back into that "Monkey Business"-esque chorus that takes us out. I would be remiss if I neglected to note the "Wooohooo" towards the end and the voice box that appears as the song closes. The boys are dropping all of the tricks and tools of the trade. Rounding out the EP is "Favourite Son", and if I had to pick a favorite, well no, they are all favorites but "Favourite Son", if I had to pick would eek past the others. Barely. First let's talk about the HEAVILY distorted bass guitar that just growls through song, and the boys make it a focal point in the mix as your heart will rattle, along with your fillings. "Favourite Son" is another song akin to the previous 3, sleazy hard rock, dripping with swagger and musical proficiency and prowess. It sneaks in with a mid tempo guitar that falls into a heavy and hook filled verse and chorus. There are many noteworthy elements throughout Kink, but it seems the band knows (duh) that "Favourite Son" was closing the album and they didn't pull one single punch. Musically, top top top shelf and the lyrics and presentation seem to echo that urgency, with lines that won't leave you soon, if ever. The third party presentation, first presented in "Amon", is well suited for both songs and the heartfelt vocalizing of lines like "The shadow in the darkness, and my time has come". And of course the all too quoted "I'm not going anywhere, without nailing you to this cross. I'm taking you fuckers with me, so if you got 'em, light 'em up!" The "light 'em up" encants the vocal stylings of the Jeff Keith of TESLA fame and it sounds perfect herein. Towards the end of "Favourite Son", we get a real good extended sampling of Josh's vocal prowess, he stomps all over his influences with a lengthy wail of "coooooooooome". A Steve Tyler-influenced, "chickachichachichawow" and the that last "yeeeeeeeow" wail at the end, cemented with the guitars holding that last note as long as possible, distorting and sustaining for dear life, a sneaky little laugh can be heard as the song slams closed. Then the piece de resistance for any live performance, the clanking of drumsticks on the studio floor. Good night. I'm spent listening. I can only assume the boys in THE RATTLEBACKS must have been shivering on the floor after such an outpouring of brilliance.

For those lucky enough to call England home, and to be afforded the privilege of seeing THE RATTLEBACKS perform live, one can only assume that would be something to see. If this EP is any litmus test on how these lads tear it up, the live shows should literally lay waste to any and all audiences.

Well it shouldn't be much of a secret that THE RATTLEBACKS EP Kink is for all intents and purposes a near perfect album. I wouldn't change anything and fingers quadruple crossed that upcoming releases hold this same swagger, raw power and proficiency. I mentioned a few of my assumed influences via comparison throughout the review but I would be remiss if I didn't include a few unknown bands that THE RATTLEBACKS remind me of a lot of. SMOKIN' ACES for one. Do you remember "The Ruckus" from their 2014 EP 24/7? Or "Undone" and their brilliant 2014 EP Words From An Innocent Man? Interesting both those albums are from 2014... Maybe it has to do with the independent nature of the release? Maybe because the albums were EP's? I think a combination of those elements, but mostly it is the sheer impressiveness of the releases.

PLEASE, do yourself (ultimately) and the band a favor and go snatch up the EP before they are all gone. You can bask in the glory (you may thank me as well) in knowing and owning a little piece of quintessential rock n roll history as the next releases will assuredly be done so on a larger scale, label and format.

5,000,000,000.00 Out Of 5.0