CD REVIEW: THE DEAD DAISIES – Make Some Noise

Shane | 23 July 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW: THE DEAD DAISIES – Make Some Noise
Spitfire Music/SPV
5 August, 2016
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
9/10

Much can be read into the cover of third Dead Daisies album Make Some Noise: Am aged brick wall, textured with dark hues of purple and red; the album title plastered on like a poster; the band name and skull logo splashed like graffiti. Disparate styles and colours combine to make perfect, vibrant artistic sense.

As a metaphor for the band itself, they couldn’t have chosen a better, bolder image. A loose collection of ultra-experienced rockers, the abstract nature of the band is reflected in the overlaid posters on the wall, the splashes of blue, yellow, red highlighting the new life they’re breathing into rock n’ roll both musically and from their unique business perspective.

That’s nice, I hear you hurrumph, but what about the music? Well, John Corabi (Motley Crue/The Scream), Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy), Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio) and bossman/paymaster David Lowy (Doc Neeson’s Angels and heir to the Westfield Corporation fortune): put them in a room together and they’re unlikely to come up with anything crap!

In fact, this esteemed company have the ability to bring out the best in all of their members, every one of these gold-and-platinum-selling musos positively shining on this collection of great songs and exemplary performances.

That ultra-rarity, an album devoid of filler, Make Some Noise is a great ride from start to finish, with every song absolutely full of riffs, melody, and catchy lyrics.

The thunderous title track is a standout, coming on like the bastard son of I Love It Loud; while Freedom is a ‘60s-themed road song tailor made for the open highway.

No stranger to a great cover version, Corabi completely owns CCR’s Fortunate Son, and a stomping take on The Who’s singalong Join Together has all the feel of a warm-hearted fireside jam, whilst sounding as professional as can be.

From their humble beginnings when it was feared that The Dead Daisies may have simply been a vanity project for millionaire Lowy, the band have evolved into something very special indeed, and set a new benchmark for how to operate a band in the modern musical landscape. Lowy certainly seems to be maintaining a role which recently-departed guitarist Richard Fortus last year described to us as, “every band sort of has that element to it that grounds it, and that’s David’s place in this.” It seems his leadership facilitates bringing out the best in his more-famous (and perhaps more musically adept) collaborators, but that should never be undervalued – especially in light of the great music the band is producing.