Nitrate's 'Feel the Heat' - Album Review

I recently wrote about Battlelines (the results of which you can read here) on this blog, the first album from the UK-based melodic rock act Vega without two of their founding members: guitarist/bassist Tom Martin and keyboard player James Martin. The twin brothers had essentially, along with frontman Nick Workman, led Vega from the very beginning - and their songwriting made the band tick. I was shocked when they both left Vega last year, especially as it happened with essentially no fanfare. I think that both the twins and Workman have addressed the split in various interviews, and it all seems to have been very amicable, but I thought it was handled quite strangely by the band given how key the twins had been since the early days. As Battlelines shows, though, there is plenty of life left in Vega - and the band's eighth album is as enjoyable as anything Vega have put out before. I wondered what the Martin brothers would do next; and I half wondered whether they would focus on their songwriting and production talents and perhaps work behind the scenes for other artists. They have always done so, even whilst in Vega, but I wondered if they would double down on this - and build on their work writing and producing albums for the likes of Ted Poley, Issa, and many of the various in-house projects conjured up by Frontiers Records. I get the impression that they are somewhat doing that, but they have also joined another UK-based melodic rock band: Nitrate. When I first saw the video for Wild in the City a few months ago, I assumed that Nitrate was a new project started by the Martin brothers - but some research proved me wrong, as Nitrate have been around for a few years at this point and have been led since the beginning by bassist and songwriter Nick Hogg. From what I have read, it seems that Nitrate's first two albums did not have any involvement from the Martin brothers, although current Vega members Marcus Thurston and Pete Newdeck seem to have been involved at points which is amusing, but they came on board for 2021's Renegade as songwriters and producers - and then joined the band following this involvement. They seem to be partially credited as being band members on Renegade, but on Feel the Heat, Nitrate's fourth album, they seem to be fully integrated into the band - and have formed a new songwriting partnership with Hogg. The three songwriters, along with current frontman Alexander Strandell, who made his debut with the band on Renegade, all return here - but Feel the Heat sees Nitrate debuts for guitarist Richard Jacques and drummer Alex Cooper (Hanging Doll; Devilfire). I am yet to delve into Nitrate's past, but after hearing Feel the Heat I will definitely be doing so. This fourth album is a great slab of modern, poppy AOR - and quite different from the work the Martin brothers did with Vega. Nitrate is less cinematic and guitar-driven than Vega, and is instead much more sugary and retro-sounding. It brings the most recent Brother Firetribe album to mind, and the overall tone is one of feel-good pop rock - and the songs have the hooks to back that up.

The feel-good factor kicks in right away, and the album's title track is a great example of the Martin brothers' approach to melody - but forced through a much more overt 1980s filter than previously. The more keyboard-heavy approach taken here is evident from the off, with sparkling synths filling the speakers early on - before the strident power chord riffing of Jacques and Tom create an anthemic punch. Every song on this album has been written to focus on its hooks. There is little showboating here, and everything serves the song. The guitars are big and brash during the chorus, then, whilst Hogg's snaking bass perfectly locks in with Cooper's cowbell-led drumming during the smooth verses. Strandell has the perfect voice for this sort of music, too, and his poppy delivery soars over every song here. He may not be the ballsiest of singers, but his sense of melody and his overall tone is pitched perfectly. He is a big reason why the song's chorus sounds so stadium-ready, alongside the aforementioned strident riffing, whilst the constant halo provided by James' synths creates the song's summery sound. Brief lead guitar moments add colour, but this is a song that sticks to the simple things - and the anthemic chorus is the first of many found here. All the Right Moves is a bit less punchy overall, and song has a much smoother overall tone - but this works really well in my opinion, and the soaring pop number is one of my favourite cuts here. Shades of Foreigner and Michael Bolton's early solo albums shine throughout the song's clean guitar melodies and ever-present synths - whilst guitar leads are used more prominently here to provide additional hooks, alongside some excellent wordless vocals from Strandell. Like the previous song, the verses are somewhat more stripped back, but the guitar presence gives them more depth, whilst the chorus is more riffy overall - with a strong synth hook underpinning everything and plenty of vocal harmonies to make Strandell's vocal melodies really soar. The song may sound like lots of AOR songs past, but the songwriting is so strong that this familiarity is not a concern for me - and the vibe the song conjures up is one of joy. Wild in the City, the album's lead single, follows, and the track feels a little heavier than the two other opening songs. The synths still lead the way from the off, but there is a much crunchier guitar presence throughout - with lots of whammy bar work early on and a few shredded leads. The verses also feel rockier this time, with a hard-hitting drum groove and chugging guitars, but there are still plenty of AOR trappings thanks to Strandell's poppy vocal delivery and the constant keyboard presence. The chorus is a little tougher, too, with some hair metal hooks and a slightly more guitar-led approach. The synths add colour, but the guitars and some ballsier backing vocals give the song a bit of a boost compared to the others around it. The additional grit here is welcome, though, and it is good that the album does shift its tone throughout slightly - and not rely on the same tropes over and over. It is also the first song here with a lengthy guitar solo, and the instrumental section features a great mix of slow burning melodies and faster runs - which sits nicely alongside the slightly grittier overall sound featured.

Needs a Little Love returns to something more akin to the opening couple of numbers, with a big synth hook leading the way from the off and some strident guitar rhythms to create a bit of drive. Like the earlier tracks, too, the verses are generally a bit more low key. Hogg's bass drives the verses, whilst the halo of synths injects the band's usual sugary sound. Clean guitar melodies help the verses to stand out, though, and the excellent vocals of Strandell feel a little more restrained to suit this gentle guitar approach - but he lets rips when the chorus kicks in, and the power chord riffing of the song's intro returns. An aching guitar solo adds some bluesy expression to the track, and the simplicity of the note choices helps it to stand out. There is little showboating here, as mentioned, and the solo here is a great example of the band playing for the song. It adds a little boost, before a final reprise of the chorus sees a proper 1980s key change kick in to make it hit a little harder. It is another of the album's best choruses in my opinion, and Strandell's hooks really shine through the simple guitar rhythms and punchy drums. One Kiss (To Save My Heart) is the album's first ballad, and it is sung as a duet between Strandell and Issa. There are, again, notes of Foreigner here - and the driving keyboard melody could have sat on any of those albums put out by the four-man version of Foreigner during the mid-1980s. Cooper's drumming is simple but his snare really roars out of the speakers to create an old-school sound - whilst Strandell really hams it up in a dramatic manner. Issa's vocal performance is more understated, but she sings well alongside Strandell - with the two harmonising well together in particular during the chorus, which channels all of the best AOR ballads of the 1980s. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is another aching guitar solo here. It is a slow-burner, but it captures the vibe of the song perfectly - before the song transitions into a big bridge section and a final reprise of the chorus. Live Fast, Die Young gets back to a more hard rocking sound, and the slightly grittier tones of Wild in the City have been repurposed here. The song is one of the album's most anthemic in my opinion, and it is the one which made me initially draw the Brother Firetribe comparisons. The mix of the choppy guitar riffing and the big synth hook that resurfaces throughout the song is right out of the Finnish band's songbook, but it very much sticks to the album's core sound. Everything just feels a little bigger here, and that is why the song is another of my favourites on the album. Even the verses feel a bit meatier with their stabbing guitar rhythms, but there is still plenty of smoothness - even if the chorus feels a bit punchier thanks to some more forceful backing vocals which propel Strandell further. The band feel just that little more potent here, and it works well following the ballad. Haven't Got Time for Heartache is similar, but it pushes the heaviness up a notch. There is a bluesier sound to the song throughout, and it recalls the Brian Howe era of Bad Company somewhat - with muscular riffing and less of a keyboard presence. There are still plenty of melodic rock touches, such as the subtle synth riff that sits under the verses, but overall the track is somewhat more organic - with plenty of guitar weight and a chorus with a bit more urgency. The guitar solo is a bit more cutting, too, with some faster note flurries, and the spiker song proves to be a bit of a diversion from the album's core sound whilst still ticking the melodic rock boxes.

Satellite is the first of two songs here written by Hogg and former Nitrate member Rob Wylde, and it immediately returns to the band's core sound after the bluesier previous number. The mid-paced drum and guitar groove topped by some excellent synth melodies approach which is taken here is such an AOR cliché at this point it is almost redundant, but Nitrate make it work with the overall strength of their songwriting - and the fact that the chorus perhaps takes a very slight turn into a smoother and more anthemic overall feel than what is perhaps expected. The song is still very typical of many mid-paced AOR stompers of the past, but the excellent keyboard playing of James throughout and the suitable crunch of the guitars make the song tick. It helps that the guitar solo is memorable, too, and the song is another highlight thanks to how far it leans into its source material. At first it seems as if Strike Like a Hurricane is going to be another heavier piece, and it certainly pack a punch, but it is perhaps not as tough as it first appears. The opening guitar riff is pretty powerful, and the instantly-catchy opening wordless vocal hooks get the blood pumping, but the rest of the song is pretty typical of the band's core sound. The verses have the stripped back sound which is typical of the album, albeit with a bit more guitar-based crunch this time, whilst the chorus is drenched in sugary keyboards despite the riffy backing and Strandell's strident vocal hooks. Despite this, though, there is still a bit more urgency to the song than there is to many of the others here. It feels pretty exciting and the hooks dig in early, and it is another that has a bit of a hair metal edge at times alongside the band's core melodic rock sound. Big Time, which was also co-written by Wylde, was one of the early standout tracks for me when listening to the album for the first time. It is not a song that does anything significantly different to many of the others here, but there is something about it that jumps out at me - and it helps that the chorus is one of the album's best. There are more involved choruses and hooks on the album, but there is something about the pomp keyboard hooks and the cowbell-led drumming that makes it jump out of the speakers - and Strandell's vocals sound huge thanks to the well-placed harmony vocals layers. I am quite easily pleased when it comes to melodic rock, and the simplicity and stabbing riffing of the chorus here ticks all of the right boxes for me. It is the sort of song that is sure to work well live, and it is one of my favourite AOR cuts of the year so far. The album then comes to a close with Stay, which was co-written by Bob Mitchell - who notably co-wrote Cheap Trick's The Flame. Like The Flame, Stay is a ballad and the slower song closes out the album nicely despite it being more mournful than much of the rest of the material here. Strandell is backed by simple keyboards early on, and the song remains in this atmospheric mode for quite a while - before the drums provide a beat, and the song opens up more with chiming clean guitars and pulsing bass. It is the simplest song on the album arrangement-wise, even if it does get more typical towards the end, but the slower track allows the bombastic album to end on a more reflective note - which is not uncommon for melodic rock albums. For pure AOR, fans of the genre really cannot go wrong with Feel the Heat. It very much stays in its lane, but there are few better albums of this type which have been released in the past few years - and it is great hearing the Martin brothers indulge in a more retro sound which differs to their previous work. I am certainly intending to delve into Nitrate's catalogue now, as if the rest of their albums are up to this standard then there is a lot more good music for me to discover.

The album was released on 13th October 2023 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for All the Right Moves.