If you yearn for a time in your musical journey where the heavy chugging sounds of Classic heavy metal mingled with the pomposity of arena rock then you may have stumbled to the right review for you. In the very noisy world of modern music often we can get lost in its labyrinthine walls going down one confusing dead end after another.
So when bands like Shake The Temple plant their flag it is a breath of fresh air. (The love child of John Joseph, and his intense passion for Vintage Metal and Anthem Rock), now I am paraphrasing his website but really this is as closest as you will get to the truth In all the 9 tracks you get in this package running in at a very respectable 39 min 46 sec is a sense that he just wants to make music that makes him happy. And all of us dear readers have listened to albums that are soulless and reek of contractual obligations.
Who among us REALLY thought St Anger was really anything but a painful exercise in what not to do.
The album genuinely gave me that sense of joy and wonder when I first put on my brother’s records at the tender age of 7. Blasting The Who, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and so many more. Truly in these trying times is it not a good thing for us to grab hold of some nostalgia, a time before mortgages, job security, and relationships. A time when in wonder and awe we looked upon our heroes as guitar welding wizards who in one opulent moment made us grab our tennis rackets and throw shapes around our sun-drenched bedrooms.
The album is well mixed, well balanced and a good mix of uncomplicated rhythms. John is a veteran of the Melbourne scene and so with this, he has pulled together a really hard-hitting lineup with Damian Cutler on Bass and legendary hard-hitting Skins man Dave Emms bashing out some mean syncopation.
I was really enjoying the album till it all culminated in one of the most infectious and rhythmically grinding tunes I have heard in ages Fist Of Love It will be one hell of a crowd-pleaser if you are lucky to get top see them live.
So get your ears around some genuinely well-produced and fun music, no prancing, no pretense just 100% rock and roll, and really people that is this really all we want. However, you wrap it up that’s what we crave. So if you live in Australia and these guys are on the bill do yourself a big one and get to the gig, And if not you can still snatch that tennis racket moment again and throw some shapes around your bedrooms whilst you play it BLOODY loud.
I give this fantastic run down memory lane
5 out of 5 stars
Shake The Temple: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: Sliptrick Records
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Tony Evans
