Lead single and opening cut Glass Sky is a good example of the band's slight change of direction here. Despite much of the album still feeling very much rooted in the 1980s, this track does feel a bit more modern overall - despite the hooky gang vocals and anthemic chorus. The song opens with Malagodi's staccato guitar figure - backed by a bass drum punch from Ben Atkinson and a bass groove from Jack Bentley-Smith. This mid-paced strut makes up the basis of the song's verses, which are pretty stripped back to allow Tristan's voice to shine. He is always the band's focal point and he sounds great here, even if his smooth voice sometimes contrasts a little with the tougher guitar tones utilised this time. This balance is quite Dokken-esque, but the song in general is very much within the band's wheelhouse - albeit with the modern flair described. The atmospheric backing of the verses feels modern as does the continuation of the same groove during the chorus - even though a really hooky guitar melody is also used during the chorus to inject some additional interest. Considering how hooky the song is, though, the arrangement is a little atypical, but it works well as a kick-off track and a lead single - showcasing the difference between the band's two albums despite the overall similarities in core sound. Original Criminal is a bit more muscular, opening with a mid-paced riff that is packed full of bluesy groove - before a pretty sparse verse takes over and the song takes a bit of a dip. I like the opening riff, but the song as a whole is the album's weakest cut for me. The sparse verses worked the previous song due to the groove and the subtle synths utilised, but the verses here just feel a bit empty - and some of the vocals feel a bit crammed in syllable-wise. More of a guitar presence may have helped, as the bass is left to do most of the heavy lifting, and the track feels a little undercooked in my opinion. The chorus is pretty strong, though, with another pretty hooky guitar riff kicking in and Tristan adopting a simple, shout-along approach. The riffing here showcases that hair metal-esque approach mentioned - it is just a shame that the verses fail to live up to the rest of the riffing elsewhere. Just One of Those Days is classic Collateral, though, and it very much feels like something which could have sat on the band's first album - and it sounds all the better for it. Tristan's acoustic guitar is very prominent in the mix and the Bon Jovi vibes are very strong here - with 2007's Lost Highway in particular feeling like a touchstone. There is a country twang to the track, then, with Tristan's melodic voice really shining - whilst the big guitar chords from Malagodi are more anthemic than riffy. The guitarist comes into his own during a short, shredded solo, though, whilst the overall production just feels bigger with the acoustic guitar depth, a few choice vocal harmonies, and the subtle use of keyboards. This song shows that, despite some changes, Collateral still very much do what they do best here and those who loved the first album have little to fear.
Teenage Dreams is similar, but the overall vibe is more urgent and hard rocking. Like the previous song there are acoustic guitars added throughout for depth, with a few linking sections featuring some busy acoustic guitar melodies, but the song is more weighty and varied than the previous song - with Malagodi crashing in with some heavier riffing and chords when needed, and there are some great snaking guitar leads thrown in, too, which really help the song to shine. The chorus is perhaps not quite as good as the previous song's effort, but it is still very memorable - with Tristan's vocals mixing well with the aforementioned bluesy guitar leads at times. The ending portion of the song is much meatier, too, as, following another busy guitar solo, the riffing gets more prominent and the song feels much crunchier as it moves through a heavier-sounding instrumental section and a final big chorus reprise. Elysium is another country-esque hard rocker, but the overall sound is a bit more varied - and the verses showcase a bit more of an involved sound than is generally associated with Collateral. The interplay between Malagodi and Bentley-Smith during the verses is a little Extreme-esque at times - with the guitars adding a few funky flourishes and flashy leads whilst the bass is busy and up-front. This helps the song to stand out from the crowd and allows the band to blow off a little steam, but the chorus is very typical of the band's classic sound with more Bon Jovi influences on display. It is more urgent-sounding than anything that Bon Jovi have released for years, though, and the later instrumental section which features lots of guitar firepower from Malagodi helps to keep the song kicking along. It is not a song which jumped out to me from the off but it has become a bit of a favourite over repeated listens - and the instrumentation here is a bit different to the norm, which is welcome. On the Long Road is a big ballad and again it really feels like a song which harks back to the band's first album. Tristan sings alone with his acoustic guitar early on, with Malagodi adding the occasional guitar melody, and even when the rest of the band join in proper the song rarely strays from this initial arrangement - albeit with a rhythm section. Tristan has a great voice for songs like this and he injects a lot of genuine emotion into the piece - with the chorus in particular feeling like a heartfelt moment. It is an excellent chorus and it elevates the simple song up quite a few levels - as does the bluesy and expressive solo from Malagodi which is much more structured and poignant than the busier efforts found elsewhere. This could well be the band's best ballad yet and I imagine that it would really soar live with a crowd singing along.
A personal favourite in No Place for Love then follows. It is a song which I remember from those 2022 shows and it is one that really leans into those hair metal vibes in quite a big way - at least in its main riff and chorus. The main riff is full of lots of 1980s guitar tones and tricks, including some harmony leads, whilst the chorus, which uses the same riff, is stadium-ready with some big vocal harmonies and Tristan's confidence. The verses are a bit more sparse, especially the first one, with more of an acoustic guitar presence - but this is not an uncommon structure for songs such as this. It allows the song to ramp up towards the chorus in a big way; and this is very much a track which relies on its chorus. This is no bad thing, though, as the chorus is massive - and a later staccato rendition of it with some huge pounding drums really hits home, particularly following Malagodi's scorching solo. Game Changer is another heavier piece and it could well be the most hair metal-inspired track here. The pace is much more upbeat than anything else here and the opening riff has some screaming pinch harmonics which set the tone. The drumming and vocals are much more frantic, relatively speaking, than anything else here - and the guitars have plenty of bite, with Dokken again being a bit of a point of comparison throughout the track. Despite this more in-your-face approach, though, the song is still packed full of hooks. The pace only helps the hooks to hit home and the chorus is one of the best on the album overall thanks to the song's overall punch - and Malagodi's solo is another shredded one, before some slab-like riffing creates a heavier bridge to a final chorus reprise. The album then comes to a close with Final Stand, another pretty heavy and riffy track to close out a trilogy of such to round out the album. In some ways the song reminds me a little of Glass Sky - but without the modern flashes that were used there. The riffing here is snaking, with Doug Aldrich-esque flashes, and the song is one of the album's most muscular overall - with a bluesy weight which is not always a sound that Collateral lean into. Given the heavier vibes of the album, though, this slightly sleazier and heavier approach works nicely - and the riffing creates a strong groove throughout and later forms the basis of a rollocking chorus. Tristan's voice is not necessarily best-suited for heavier moments, but I think the balance struck on this album generally works - and he still sounds powerful throughout this track. The chorus shines, in part, thanks to his vocals - but this is a track which feels much more guitar-dominated overall and it helps the album to end on a high. Overall, then, I really like Should've Known Better. Collateral was a great jumping off point in 2020 but the band have refined their sound here and the other influences toyed with this time generally work. Despite being heavier overall there is still a lot of what made Collateral such fun present here, too, and the mix of country-tinged rockers and riffier pieces is well-balanced. Collateral are a band that deserve success and this album could well help to push them to the next level.
The album was released on 24th May 2024 via Big Shot Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Glass Sky.
No comments:
Post a Comment