Artist: Main Line Riders 
   Title: Shot In The Dark
   Label: Retroactive Records

Hailing from Texas USA Main Line Riders are coming out the coral like a six string bucking bronco with their sleaze induced rock n' roll that pays homage the Sunset Strip heroes of the 80’s, with a few modern twists thrown in for good measure.

This type of sleaze filled rock really gets my attention every time, especially when a new band comes along and plays rock like it was meant to be, mean and dirty.

The album gets underway in emphatic style with 'Ride The Main Line' with the guitars of Cliffy and Blackway leading the way for the vocals of Mike Mayhem to take you along that steel highway.  It's gritty hellfuelled rock that will blow you away with its tuned down guitars and relentless back beat.

Without missing a heartbeat its into ‘One Way Ticket To Love’ and this rock n' roll train keeps running full steam ahead on this thumping rocker, it's just superb and Cliffy rips through the midsection like a six string buzz saw.

Next it's time for the band to introduce a little AC/DC influence into the mix on ‘Throwin’ Bones To The Wolves’ before slowing things down with the excellent ‘Here I Am’.  The term slow-burner comes to mind with this one as it starts off with just vocals and acoustic guitar before firing up into a full on electric hard rock ballad, complete with female vocals.

Fear not rockers things get back on track with the aptly titled ‘Speed Queen’ that just races along at a breakneck speed, and the pace doesn’t settle down as things keep rolling along with ‘Pack Up Your Blues’, both tracks very much in the Buckcherry, Backyard Babies mould.

One of my favourite track off the album has to be the racy guitar fuelled ‘I Walk Alone’, with the drums of Josho pummelling out a ferocious backbeat as Cliffy and Blackway fire out the licks like an out of control AK47.

It's pedal to the metal once more with the riff filled ‘Put The Hammer Down’, again it's Cliffy and Blackway who take centre stage on this one as Mayhem lends his extra ordinary vocal talent to the track.

The album closes again with the definite AC/DC vibe on ‘We Are The Ready Ones’, but the track is more that just AC/DC, there are so many influences in this one it's hard to keep track of them all but what a way to close a superb album!

Tracklisting:

1 Ride The Main Line
2 One Way Ticket To Love
3 Throwin' Bones To The Wolves
4 Here I Am
5 Speed Queen
6 Pack Up Your Blues
7 I Walk Alone
8 Put The Hammer Down
9 We Are The Ready Ones
                  

 

All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated.