CD REVIEW: CRUIZZEN – Free Ride

Shane | 25 January 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW: CRUIZZEN – Free Ride
Pure Rock Records
November 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 ½ /10

Modelling your band on AC/DC is not without its risks: like Status Quo, much of the band’s output is generic and non-essential, and it’s not like no-one else has ever used the band as their template and manifesto.

To their credit, Bavarian five-piece Cruizzen go one better, amplifying everything around the Brian Johnson-era-AC/DC bones and fleshing them out with some meaty guitar work and Rev Alex Mayer’s marbles-in-a-blender vocals.

The title track is one of their best, Trouble sounds like The Poor with a hard-as-metal chrome job, and slower song Lipstick On My Pillow is a welcome change of pace. It’s this willingness to fuck with the formula that see Cruizen succeed where so many have fallen before them, and you might hear elements that point to a record collection including some well-played copies of Rose Tattoo and Guns n’ Roses as well. It all adds up to an exciting album that may well remind you of a few of your favourites, but is far from one dimensional. Better than that – it’s guaranteed to get your feet moving and head shaking.