Black Star Riders' 'Wrong Side of Paradise' - Album Review

Following the departure of Damon Johnson, one of Black Star Riders' main songwriters, in 2018, I closed my review of 2019's Another State of Grace (which can be read here), the band's fourth album and first without Johnson, by saying: The band are showing no signs of slowing down yet, and I hope that Another State of Grace is the start of a successful new era for them. Given Johnson's departure, as well as that of original drummer Jimmy DeGrasso in 2017, I approached Another State of Grace with trepidation. I wondered how the band would fare without one of their main songwriters, but I need not have worried - as the album turned out to be a strong one, and my second by the band. In my view, only their 2013 debut album All Hell Breaks Loose (which I reviewed here) stands taller than Another State of Grace. Guitarist Christian Martucci, who stepped into Johnson's shoes, formed an admirable writing partnership with Ricky Warwick from the off - and the trademark contributions of the legendary Scott Gorham helped to freshen up the sound somewhat. Sadly, though, the band did not manage to make the most of Another State of Grace. Whilst the main European tour happened at the back end of 2019, any further plans to promote the album were scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Star Riders were essentially put on the back burner, Warwick worked on a solo album with the band seemingly waiting out the storm - but 2021 brought the news that Gorham was stepping down. In some ways, this news was not much of a surprise. Gorham is now 71, and may not want to tour as rigorously as Black Star Riders demands - but I was also worried that without his contributions the band's sound would suffer. Gorham was never Black Star Riders' main songwriter, but he chipped in with a number of memorable moments and his unique guitar style forged that link back to Thin Lizzy - from which Black Star Riders were born. This left Warwick the last original member of the band still standing, but he seemed keen to carry on. Last year, then, and following the pandemic-induced break, Black Star Riders were essentially relaunched. The band's fifth album, Wrong Side of Paradise, was announced with the same announcement also introducing new drummer Zak St. John, who replaced Chad Szeliga, and revealing that Martucci had also left the band after finishing the album to focus on his role in Stone Sour. Whilst the news of a new album was welcome, further line-up changes were worrying - and the news that both Gorham and DeGrasso would be joining the band for their 2023 UK tour to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary added further confusion to the whole situation. As such, there was a lot to unpack in this one announcement - but the first thing to look forward to was Wrong Side of Paradise, which dropped a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, though, for me at least, the band's fifth album feels like a real step down compared to their previous work. Gorham's guitar melodies are certainly missed, and Martucci likely had one foot out the door during the album's creation as he is only credited with co-writing a handful of the songs. As such, Warwick has been left to do the heavy lifting and, for me, the album lacks much of the spark that set the band apart from the crowd.

Whilst, for me, Wrong Side of Paradise is the weakest Black Star Riders album to date, it actually opens pretty strongly. In my opinion, the album is extremely front-loaded - with the first three cuts being my favourite moments here. The title track kicks things off, and it contains many of the classic Black Star Riders hallmarks. The opening riff is crunchy, and filled with neat little guitar twists and turns - allowing the Thin Lizzy-isms that have often characterised the band's previous work to shine once again. They are perhaps not as obvious as before, but the riff is still infectious - and Warwick sounds as good as ever vocally once the verse kicks in and Robbie Crane's driving bassline takes over. My main issue with this album is how unmemorable much of it is, but that is not the case with its title track. It does not really do anything new, but by the time chorus rolls around the melodies and riffs are stuck in the brain - and Martucci impresses with a fluid guitar solo, which is followed by some great harmony leads where he teams up with Warwick to once again channel the spirit of Thin Lizzy. Fans of the band will be familiar with the formula, but it remains satisfying in my opinion - and the opening cut is one of the album's most satisfying moments. Hustle, which follows, is another strong song - but it sounds more like Warwick's original band The Almighty than Black Star Riders. This is not necessarily a bad thing in principle, but I think it goes to show that Black Star Riders have lost some of their identity on this album. The main riff lumbers along with an early 1990s heaviness, whilst occasional bursts of bluesy harmonica add colour. There is little lead guitar firepower here, with the song being more a riff-based piece - with the backing vocals of Siobhán Kelly adding depth. Her harmonies are moments of light in the riffy dark, whilst the brief guitar solo adds some melody. The punky edge to the chorus is classic Warwick, but it is not classic Black Star Riders - which is to me is another part of the album's issue despite the song itself being enjoyable. The band returns to something more akin to their traditional sound with the upbeat Better Than Saturday Night, which features some great chorus guitar harmonies, a boogie-inducing guitar riff, and some tight backing vocals from Joe Elliott (Def Leppard; Down 'n' Outz). Like the title track, it does nothing new - but it very much keeps the classic Black Star Riders sound alive. Like many of the band's best tracks, there is a slightly folk rock overtone throughout - whilst the reliance on strong guitar leads keeps the melodies flowing. The chorus is pretty hooky, too, and it is a song that I generally like more each time I hear it. It is the sort of song that is likely to go down well live thanks to its anthemic edge and plenty of guitar firepower - and it is a real highlight here.

Sadly, though, the album never really reaches these heights again - and Riding Out the Storm is quite a big dip in quality. The song aims to go for a slower pace and a more atmospheric sound - but there is little here that sticks in the brain. As mentioned previously, that is my main issue with this album. Too many of the songs are just not all that memorable, and Riding Out the Storm only sticks with me whilst I am hearing it. Its chorus is actually quite good, but it makes no lasting impression - and there are no big riffs and soaring melodies which make an impact. The band have done songs like this in the past with much better results - but here the atmospheric approach just seems quite bland. Pay Dirt is better, though, and does come close to hitting the heights of the album's early moments. It ups the pace and power again - and injects some rawness into the album with a crunchy opening riff and plenty of strong bass playing from Crane. Crane's bass is quite high in the mix throughout the album, but this song really showcases his playing. The verses are essentially driven by his fuzzy playing - whilst St. John's simple drum grooves swing along in the background. This reliance on the bass does allow the song to have a bit of a freshness to it, and another decent chorus features some more folky melodies from Warwick set against some chiming guitar melodies and a tougher rhythm. It is a song that certainly manages to give the album a bit of a kick up the backside after the weak Riding Out the Storm, and it does restore a bit of confidence in the process - showcasing Crane along the way. Catch Yourself On sees the quality drop again, though, and it is another song that just does not stay with me at all once I have stopped listening to it. The off-kilter riffing, which does create something of a strange groove, has the potential to lead to something interesting - but the band never capitalise on the grooves. As such, the choppy guitar from the song's intro and part of the verses essentially goes nowhere - with a pretty generic chorus soon taking over which lacks big melodies and ends up sounding like something that would have been discarded early on during the sessions for the band's previous albums. Perhaps the band were trying something different, which is evident with some spacey guitar melodies and bit more of a synth backing during the chorus, but, for me, the experiment does not really work and the song ends up being a bland one that fails to capitalise on a decent opening groove.

Up next is a cover of The Osmonds' Crazy Horses. So many bands have covered this song over the years, and in truth I did not need Black Star Riders to add their take on it to the already large pile. Given that this album is quite short, the fact that it includes a cover should really be cause for concern. The band have not recorded a cover before, and I do wonder if perhaps they were a little light on material this time around - which would not surprise me given the overall quality of this album compared to their previous ones. As covers go, though, it is not bad - but the song has never really been a favourite of mine, and Black Star Riders' version does little to improve on the original. It adds some raw energy to the album, and the riffing throughout is decent, but it is not something that is particularly inspiring in my opinion. Burning Rome is better, and is a slower song that works - unlike Riding Out the Storm. It is not exactly a ballad, but it rocks far less than most of the other songs here, and the folky side of the band is on full show. I think it helps that there is quite a bit more of a focus on lead guitar moments this time. Warwick and Martucci lay down lots of harmony guitar lines throughout, which allows the band's trademark sound to shine. The more laid back arrangement allows for Warwick's singer-songwriter side to take the lead, too. There is more acoustic guitar in the mix, adding depth, and the chorus has a strong troubadour vibe to it - which is only helped by the lengthy guitar moments that tend to follow each rendition of it. The real late album highlight for me, though, is Don't Let the World (Get in the Way). Like the handful of songs that opened the album, it is very much a piece that harks back to the band's previous work. It unashamedly channels the band's Thin Lizzy influence throughout, with Warwick and Martucci laying down lots of harmony guitar leads - with the latter also laying down a blazing solo. There are not enough big solos on this album, but Don't Let the World (Get in the Way) delivers on that front, and the riffing is similarly crunchy - with lots of memorable chord progressions that help to create an upbeat sound that has that trademark Black Star Riders mix of classic rock strut and a laid back folk rock groove. It is not an original-sounding song, but it does not have to be - and instead it just plays to the band's strengths, allowing them to riff and solo in a big way.

Sadly, though, it is the last genuinely strong cut here in my opinion as the final two songs are weaker. Green and Troubled Land is not too dissimilar, but it is as if all that made the previous song stand out has been stripped away. There is much less of a focus on big guitar leads this time, which instantly makes the song less interesting in my view, whilst the riffing is also less powerful. As such, the musical hooks throughout the song do not grab hold in the same way as they did in the last song - and it is only the made up of the aforementioned laid back folk rock, meaning that it lacks the classic rock strut. In my opinion, Black Star Riders' best songs have both - and this track feels more like a vehicle for Warwick's lyrics than anything else. It has that singer-songwriter feel which some of his solo work can have - but, in my opinion, a Black Star Riders song needs more of a kick, which this song lacks. The album then comes to a close with This Life Will Be the Death of Me, which, like Catch Yourself On, tries something interesting but fails to capitalise and build on it. The 'something interesting' tried this time is a wah-drenched main riff that chops and skanks around as the song opens, but it soon descends into another somewhat bland mid-paced rocker that leaves the interesting riffing behind for basic chords and more of a keyboard backing - and a chorus that really never takes hold at all. Given that it is the album's last statement, the song should really have been much more powerful. The chorus should have been a real anthem, but instead it fails to take hold in a meaningful way. The best part of the song, though, is Martucci's solo, which is one of the album's most ripping guitar moments - and it somewhat comes out of nowhere considering how middle of the road the rest of the song is. It feels like a solo from another song was accidentally included here, especially as soon after the old groove returns and the momentary excitement wanes. It is a shame that the album does not end on a high, but in a way This Life Will Be the Death of Me sums up the album overall - so perhaps it is indeed fitting. Turning back to the quote which I opened this piece with, the new Black Star Riders era which I hoped for has sadly not been realised on Wrong Side of Paradise. There are some good songs here, but much of the material here lacks memorable hooks, and the inclusion of a pretty average cover perhaps shows that there was just not much in the tank this time around. The loss of Gorham is definitely felt throughout, and at times the album is too much of a Warwick release and not enough of Black Star Riders one. Given that only Warwick is left standing from the original line-up, I do wonder how they will press forward from here - but I hope that if album number six does come that it steps up the quality once again.

The album was released on 20th January 2023 via Earache Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Better Than Saturday Night.