The Dead Daisies is an Australian-based hard rock band founded in 2012 by guitarist David Lowy and singer Jon Stevens (who departed the band in 2015). The band’s current line-up features vocalist John Corabi (ex-The Scream, ex Mötley Crüe), guitarist Doug Aldrich (ex-Whitesnake, ex-Dio), bass player Michael Devin and drummer Tommy Clufetos alongside founder Lowy. In a career spanning twelve years, The Dead Daisies have released seven studio albums, one live and one covers album, and a best-of compilation – the supergroup collective featuring a number of different musicians at varying times, musicians such as Glenn Hughes (ex Trapeze, ex Deep Purple), Marco Mendoza, Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses), Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses), Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses), Darryl Jones, Charley Drayton, and Deen Castronovo (Journey, Revolution Saints).
The band have shared a stage with some of the world’s biggest rock bands, bands such as Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Kiss, ZZ Top and Hollywood Vampires, The Dead Daisies have also headlined tours throughout Europe, Japan, North and South America, and performed at many of the worlds biggest music festivals – Download, Wacken Open Air, Graspop, Hellfest and Sweden Rock to name just a few! A fairly sensational career when you bear in mind the band is still a relative youngster at only twelve years old – the band’s new album ‘Light ‘Em Up’ (released in 2024) features ten heavy hitters across just thirty-six hard rocking minutes, the title song ‘Light ‘Em Up’ getting the album underway with a bombastic punch! The band hit the ground hard, not to mention every listener, knocking them through the wall and into the next fucking week – the energy and oomph through the roof!
An absolutely sensational opening barrage, The Dead Daisies remain at the heavier end of hard rock territory as ‘Times Are Changing’ roars on with double the energy than ‘Light ‘Em Up’ (the song) had – the band a fast-moving avalanche of heavy rocking hard rock! The first two songs have been nothing short of jaw-dropping, turning the heads of everyone everywhere in the direction of the five-piece outfit – an outfit that is simply firing on all fucking cylinders, the album storming on with a little Southern rock swagger courtesy of ‘I Wanna Be Your Bitch’. The intensity here is at its highest since ‘Light ‘Em Up’ (the album) began, every song heard so far grabbing the listener’s attention and holding them tight, very tight! And I for one don’t care how tight, for I ain’t going anywhere while the hard rock on show is this fucking good – I’m gonna ride this rock rollercoaster all the way to the end! And without letting up the levels of energy and oomph, ‘I’m Gonna Ride’ punches the hardest of any song heard up to this point, the band sizzling like sausages and bacon cooking on a red hot barbeque! And I fucking love barbequed sausages and bacon, my mouth’s watering so much it’s starting to look like the Wallaman Falls in Queensland!
And it’s not just my mouth that’s watering either, The Dead Daisies striding on with increased elegance and majesty as ‘Back To Zero’ shudders the ground with an immense amount of force! The band may be at their most elegant here, but they’re also punching harder and harder the longer the album runs! Just imagine if The Dead Daisies were a fighter – no-one would stand a chance against them, the band delivering a knock-out blow with every song that marches on past! And the march becomes a canter as ‘Way Back Home’ surges forth with more hustle and bustle than heard on any other song, the band flattening everything and everyone standing in their path! And the canter becomes a gallop as ‘Take A Long Time’ comes storming outta the blocks as the fastest song heard, no see, err, I mean felt so far, the band pulverising the airways with devastating purpose and intent! I know I keep saying it, but the band are punching harder than ever here, no-one’s ever gonna get up off the canvas after this one!
The levels of energy and oomph just keep rising the longer ‘Light ‘Em Up’ (the album) runs, The Dead Daisies seemingly having access to an unlimited supply – gimme some guys, gimme some! I need it! And so will every listener, fan and follower on the entire fucking planet, ’cause the band’s new album is breathtaking and will cause exhaustion among many! ‘My Way And The Highway’ returns a little of the Southern rock swagger heard earlier, the band striding tall and very proud right through the heart of hard rock territory, oozing a phenomenal “listen to me” attitude! And listen you will too, for that attitude is an all-conquering one that no one can escape from, the band holding the listener’s attention tighter than ever! Every song heard so far has clocked in at less than four minutes in length, ‘Love That’ll Never Be’ doing a Roger Bannister* and breaking the four-minute barrier! But while Bannister went under four minutes, ‘Love That’ll Never Be’ goes over to become the longest song on offer – the band entering ballad country for the first time! The reined-in energy here is palpable, listeners all around the world raising lighters high in the air and swaying gently from side to side, the mellowness and serenity of ‘Love That’ll Never Be’ simply stunning! And from the longest song to an even longer one, ‘Take My Soul’ the final song on ‘Light ‘Em Up’ (the album) clocking in at over five minutes in length – The Dead Daisies boast a more abrasive hard rock sound straight outta the nineties. And with a mighty foot-stomping attitude too, the band shuddering the ground one final time to wobble walls and shake buildings.
Overall, a heavy-hitting album of punchy hard rock with immense levels of energy and oomph, ‘Light ‘Em Up’ is infectious to the max.
TRACKLIST
Light ‘Em Up
Times Are Changing
I Wanna Be Your Bitch
I’m Gonna Ride
Back To Zero
Way Back Home
Take A Long Time
My Way And The Highway
Love That’ll Never Die
Take My Soul
*Roger Bannister (1929 – 2018) was an English middle-distance runner who ran the first sub four minute mile, accomplishing this feat in 1954 at the Iffley Road track in Oxford (England).
The Dead Daisies: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: Steamhammer / SPV
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
