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On disc: The New Black



The New Black - Claudia Ehrhardt - 7 stars
Better In Black - Umberto Mino - 8 stars


www.thenewblackofficial.de







Better In Black

Better In Black
(AFM Records - 2011)


One of the biggest sensations of 2009 come back in this beginning of 2011 with an album that have big responsibilities... Can The New Black confirm all the good things heard and written about them in 2009???? In my opinion the answer is yes - for many reasons: first of all it's the quality of the songs where their multiple influences built an interesting labyrinth of emotions. Guys, tell me where to find a band that in a single CD put sounds of Black Label Society, Metallica, Stained, Thin Lizzy and every big (and small) hard rock / metal / pop / grunge / alternative of this world. Another reason is the boombastic production of Michael Dotzler and the TNB guitar player Fabian Schwarz with the collaboration of Achim Köhler (Primal Fear) that give to the songs power, sweetness, sadness with modern technologies.
But now let's go to the most important thing of a review, the songs..... From the first track Better In Black until the last one Sun Cries Moon it's possible to recognize Fludid, frontman / singer, the prima donna of this album always ready to change his mood with any song with excellent results. The whole CD contains excellent songs like the title track or Downgrade or Altar Boys, so it's hard for me to choose the best one, but it's easy to recognize the song that I don't like as much as the others and the title is When It All Ends.
In my opinion TNB confirm the status of surprise / big act of 2009, confirm that they are NOT a cloud that comes and go, confirm that is not easy to put all the rock influences in twelve songs, confirm that they are one of the biggest German rock bands today.... Well done, guys!!!


8 stars

Umberto Mino
 

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The New Black

The New Black
(AFM Records - 2009)


With The New Black a new heavy band is out to conquer the metal world. If you take a look at the line-up you might recognize some names... Actually the idea to start the band was born at a festival were guitarists Christof Leim and Fabian Schwarz had a couple of drinks together. And so The New Black was born out of drunk minds. Their statement 'Just imagine Black Label Society inviting the Nickelback guy over for some Thin Lizzy covers, all dressed up in Pantera shirts.' make them sound big mouthed... If they can keep prove it, well... Listen to The New Black and make up your mind!
The opener Everlasting is a Thin Lizzy-influenced tune, but heavier and with a modern edge. The song simply rocks and will make you sing along live. With Why I Burn they offer a stomping metal tune with vocals which have a slight Southern Rock touch... If you can imagine a blend of Zakk Wylde and Volbeat's Michael Poulsen, then you will know what to expect vocally. A bit faster, but still with a catchy hook they present More Than A Man. Simplify kicks off with mouth organ and becomes a melodic rocker with a slight Southern Rock touch - not just because of the mouth organ! At 50 Ways To Love Your Liver singer Fludid shows more aggression and adds a dash of Phil Anselmo to his vocals. A bluesy Southern rocker is Ballad Of Broken Angels, here they revive the Lynyrd Skynyrd spirit - but in a metal way. Time to speed up again with Not Me! Fast drumming and heavy riffs lead into this one, but for the chorus they slow down a bit and leave the mid-paced part behind soon to speed up again. A riff-based track is Welcome To Point Black, a quite heavy one with fat riffs, hammering drums as well as some melodic leads and a modern edge. For the last one Wound they slow down again. The song kicks off with acoustic guitars and vocals - and it stays balladesque for awhile. Then the others join in, but it's still a semi-acoustic balladesque tune. Right at the end they return to the opening theme and let fade out the song, the album slowly.
The German fivesome is presenting a powerful debut with a dozen rockers. The songs are heavy and melodic at a time. Check them out at their MySpace www.myspace.com/thenewblackofficial !


7 stars

Claudia Ehrhardt
 

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