Holy Ground
2021 so far isn’t looking to be a particularly good year. We are constantly being told about new Covid variants and even though the vaccine is being rolled out, I can’t help but wonder how long it will take to vaccinate the entire population. I offer the Dead Daisies album ‘Holy Ground’ as an antidote to everything catastrophic in the world, listen to this album and by the end you will feel completely different, it will energise you and fill you with a new sense of hope.
The Dead Daisies need no introduction. Formed of guitarists Doug Aldrich and David Lowy, recently departed drummer Deen Castronovo and the voice of rock himself Glenn Hughes. Together, the four of them create something magical and ‘Holy Ground’ as such is the band best material to date.
Opening with the title track, from the get go, you know you’re in for a treat. That opening riff really grabs you and then Glenn’s vocals kick in, with just a tad bit of reverb, giving the impression that he’s singing in a huge arena and absolutely filling it with his voice. A really catchy song, which I’m sure will become a staple of Dead Daisies live sets in the future.
‘Like No Other (bassline)’ is up next and opens with a folky feeling bass line, but very quickly the guitars kick in and we’re back to full on rock and roll. The bass is front centre in this song and I love the bass solo in this song. A really cheeky interlude and a slight break from the thunderous anthem. Glenn’s vocals are again perfect for this song and the guitars absolutely thunder on through. This song will not only have you nodding your head but might just get you punching the air in appreciation of this stunning track.
Continuing through the album, I really like ‘Bustle and Flow’, kicking off with a drum introduction, again this is a real anthem that I can imagine being performed live and the entire audience singing along. The next track ‘My Fate’ is a slower, heavy rock ‘power ballad’. Opening with much heavier guitars and a simple yet punchy drum beat from Deen that keeps the song ticking along. I like the change in tempo, the previous tracks are all high energy fast numbers, this is a much slower and Glenn too in the verses explores his lower vocal register. I would say one of the album hights.
Speaking of album highlights, I also really enjoyed ’30 Days in the Hole’ a cover of the Humble Pie track. The song has been given a lick of paint and it feels modern and fresh. Interesting to hear Deen taking lead vocals on this too, a magnificent rendition.
I have to mention the final song. ‘Far Away’ could be a Led Zep song. It is an absolutely epic piece of music, coming in at just over seven minutes. It is an emotional finale to a brilliant album. Again, as with ‘My Fate’, Glenn explores his lower register, which is every bit as good as his high notes. At three and a half minutes, the crunchy electric guitar comes in. The song starts an epic crescendo, slowly building to an epic cacophony of sound which brings the album to a close.
What an absolutely wonderful album, I would say, even though we are only in February, this will be a contender for album of the year. This album is four men, Glenn, Doug, David and Deen playit at their absolute best and I absolutely love it!
Released on: The Dead Daisies Pty Ltd. / SPV.
Release Date: 22nd January 2021
