Catalano are a hard rock band from Australia formed by former De La Cruz singer Roxx Catalano. The band released their first album ‘Dark Skies’ in 2016 and the follow up ‘Nightfighter’ in 2020.
Australian hard rock heavily influenced by the classic sound of American glam rock – and you have the signature sound of hard rockers Catalano in a nutshell. If you place the likes of Kiss, Motley Crue, Firehouse and Ratt in a blender, the resultant outcome will be Catalano. High praise you may say, but it is well deserved. With their second album, the band are hitting harder than ever before, oozing oomph and bombast with every song. At only thirty minutes in length with nine songs, the album is fairly short but does pack a weighty punch – the album opener ‘Livin’ It Up’ is a heavy-hitting party anthem to crank life into even the stalest of parties. The gravel-voiced Roxx Catalano sounding like the offspring of Tom Keifer and Joe Elliott living it up on a Saturday night for an illicit secret liaison that’ll set this city on fire in your wildest dreams…is perfectly suited to this type of sleazy glam rock. The amount of energy expelled from this album is beyond belief…
…just oozing from every song that passes by. ‘Set This City On Fire’ is so hot it just might set this city on fire. Harder rocking than the opener, ‘Set This City On Fire’ oozes appeal with fans of the late eighties, early nineties sleaze rock/metal scene lapping this up like a thirsty dog lapping up water. The title song ‘Nightfighter’ is a more mid-tempo, mid-paced, much more melodic offering than the opening double salvo. It has American glam rock written all over it, but of course, Catalano is an Australian outfit, heavily influenced by the American glam rock scene. What an opening triple! For those Iron Maiden fans listening, ‘Wildest Dreams’ is not a cover song – it is a punchy Catalano original, an all out party anthem that’ll thrill and excite. Masters of glam Kiss, Ratt, Cinderella, et al, take a back seat, your time has been. It is time for Catalano to take over from you. ‘Overdrive’ is a “keep the party going” melodic march. Less gruff, less tough and less rough than what has passed by, ‘Overdrive’ is much more simply hard rock.
‘Saturday Night’ picks up the glam rock baton once more, rocking hard as it strides on all tall and proud. ‘Saturday Night’ also has one of the best sing-along style choruses on the album, and must surely become a crowd favourite in a live arena. ‘What I Want’ comes thundering in from territory owned by legends Aerosmith. Their kind of blunter, harder style of glam rock is clearly evident, woven all the way through ‘What I Want’. A certain seventies/eighties make-up clad glam rock icon has often stated “rock is dead” – no it fucking ain’t, especially with the likes of Catalano around to fly the glam rock flag high. Rock is alive and doing very, very well. Right, it’s ballad time… Light those lighters and hold them aloft to salute the oozing emotion and passion-filled power ballad ‘Lost In Love’. And by all means, sway from side to side too. Cracking stuff. And all too soon the final song comes knocking… But remember readers, there is always the repeat button. But what an ending to the album – a new party anthem for the modern-day ‘Rock The World’ is a fantastic romp, highly infectious, and one of the most memorable endings to an album ever.
Overall, a heavy-hitting glam rock experience to stir the senses, ‘Nightfighter’ is jam-packed with an anthemic party feel.
TRACKLIST
Livin’ It Up
Set This City On Fire
Nightfighter
Wildest Dreams
Overdrive
Saturday Night
What I Want
Lost In Love
Rock The World
Catalano: Facebook
Release Year: 2020
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
