R. O. C. K. - R. O. C. K. (RnR Records) Review by Miloš Šebalj First of all, the name! A cliché to end all clichés! Seriously!? Okay, it might be an acronym (though it isn’t men�oned anywhere), but s�ll…Where do we go from here? Naming your band Music Band? (I think it stands for… wait for it…. rockriffs of c killers (Steve – Editor) Second of all, the cover artwork! And they actually have a guy listed that did the artwork! For what? Some rusty background with a logo on it? Three minutes of beginner level in Photoshop. Perhaps it could work if the albumwas heavily censored. But it would have to be a pre�y bored censor to even consider this album for a censorship of any sort. And then the music itself… Which is not that bad, actually. Sure, this is generic hard rock. As generic as it gets to be completely honest. Some�mes swinging this way or that, but it is a hard rock record. Almost perfect as a background to cancel out the noises coming from the exhaust pipes on your local biker gathering. Rock (let’s cut the crap, your band is simply called Rock) performs what you might expect frommyriads of bands following the footsteps of Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Skid Row… Naturally, rhythm sec�on is absolutely predictable, yet firm enough to carry the band on its shoulders. Guitars do portray some specter of possibili�es, though under-evolved, as there is hardly a riff which will s�ck to your memory. Guitar solos are expected and they are happening. Though, again, without a deeper effect on the listener other than recognizing the skill of the musician himself. Maybe even to sa�sfy the genre specifica�on which dictates the presence of solos. Vocalist is fairly expressive and stands out against the rest. As he should in a band of this genre. There is even a couple of choruses that might be called catchy and get you going, even if just momentarily. Also Rock is quite keyboard laden, but they are placed behind mostly. This way they have a purpose of gaining on depth of the songs. Nice touch, I must admit. But also seen before. Like most of the self�tled debut by the Serbian quintet. Subtly distrac�ng from the rest is the monumental introduc�on. It sounds epic and pompous as if to announce the spectacle that lays ahead. Sadly, it doesn’t come. I’ve said it is not bad and I stand by that statement. But to expect any kind of higher state of mind, or ar�s�c expression, by listening to Rock is nonsense. The whole impression is that of a bland record. By a band that needs to be a tribute band and perform covers in the local pub. Which, I’m sure, is where they are coming from. Most probably their live set is s�ll filled with all sorts of covers. If you’re a really (really, really, really) big fan of music like this and simply cannot get enough of it, this will definitely get your heart racing. Otherwise, there are much be�er releases around. h�ps://www.facebook.com/RnRRecordsTMM/
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