As I may have mentioned before, I come from the banks of the River Medway. Previously notable mainly for spawning Billy Childish and The Buff Medways, amongst other incarnations of his musical activity, now there’s a really powerful NWBHM movement climbing out of the torrid waters. We’ve written about Breaking The Day already, and now Feed The Rhino have released their second album 'The Burning Sons'. It takes up where their excellent debut 'Mr Red Eye' left off and goes much further.
It has to be said, the Medway’s waters obviously do not inspire optimism – neither Breaking The Day nor Feed The Rhino veer far from the path to ruin and total destruction, with a consistent ‘Explicit’ rating for lyrical content. But, and they maybe won’t thank me for saying this, the thing I particularly like about 'The Burning Sons' is that it really swings. Perhaps it’s the influence of Gallows with whom they’ve toured a lot but there’s a great deal of boom and bang to Feed The Rhino’s songs.
'Kings Of Grand Delusion' is a good example of how to rock hard without flattening form, and it’s a great song. Other strong offerings are opener 'Flood The System', title track 'The Burning Sons' which has an urgent, anthemic quality, the very danceable 'Left For Ruins', and the piano-featuring 'Tides'. There’s even a metal ballad in 'Razor'.
The album is pretty much full on from start to finish and has few weak moments. Feed The Rhino have a sharp ear for a riff and enough angst to drive a small power station. I imagine live they’re a total handful, and definitely a band to keep an eye on. This is a terrific album and I’d be stunned if come December it’s not firmly in my top ten of 2012.
8.0/10
Purchase 'The Burning Sons' at amazon.co.uk. Find more info at feedtherhino.co.uk.
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