Monday, July 27, 2015

TRUCKER DIABLO: "Rise Above The Noise"




Rating: RRRR

Label: Off Yer Rocka Recordings

Review By: Alan Holloway



After seeing them live a couple of years ago, I sort of forgot about Belfast boys Trucker Diablo, just remembering that they had been a great live band. Apparently they went on indefinite hiatus last year, but the force of rock is too strong in these ones and they’re back with a surprisingly mature yet still balls out third album that deserves a wider recognition than it will probably get.

At their core, Trucker Diablo make kick ass heavy rock, often similar in style to the stuff Nickelback used to do so well before they go so shite. To dismiss TD as Nickelback-lite would be doing them a great disservice, however, as they are so much more than that. ‘Rise Above The Noise’ features several big, catchy rock tunes, my personal favourite being ‘Girl In The Photograph’ which is an unashamed tribute to Thin Lizzy, with a wonderful twin guitar melody and fantastic chorus. ‘We Stand Strong’ is a chest beating romp that brings The Poodles to mind but is better, whilst ‘Party Like They Started The End Of The World’ does just what it says on the tin.

Elsewhere, we see the other side of Trucker Diablo, most notably in ‘Where Angels Fly’, a soulful ballad that would bring a tear to a Lemmy’s eye, and ‘Take Me To The River’, which again slows the pace but adds a Southern Delta blues edge as well as a satisfying crunch. The thing about Trucker Diablo is that the very last place you would expect them to come from is Ireland, their sound is so worldly. The band are tight, vocalist Tom Harte has a powerful and emotional voice, and in all honesty there’s not a duff song here. They’ve moved on from being a party hearty band into something more structured, and it’s a successful move. ‘Rise Above The Noise’ is a very accessible album that shows a band who have matured but are still very capable of rocking till they drop. Highly recommended. 


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