We scoured the great and good of new rock'n'roll to compile the smokin' selection that features on the free CD attached to the front cover of Classic Rock 202. Here's the details...
1. Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - World On Fire Blistering title track from the hairy, top-hatted gentleman’s new LP. It’s very big, and very loud. Riffs fire out like machine gun rounds and Myles Kennedy howls like a man with several snipers poised to shoot him at the first sign of faltering. Turn it up, preferably all the way to 11. From World On Fire (Roadrunner)
2. Joe Bonamassa - Different Shades Of Blue Not a commentary on Bonamassa’s suit collection, but a heartfelt piece of blues-rock balladry. Joe has shown over many years that he’s a bit good at the guitar. With new record Different Shades Of Blue, he shows his matured, thoughtful colours as a songwriter as well. From Different Shades Of Blue (Provogue)
3. Godsmack - 1000hp With a hook that pounds away at your vital organs like a heavyweight boxer, 1000hp (hp = horsepower) sees the Bostonian alt.metallers acquire the grooving force of several very big tanks. The refrain goes: ‘Turn that shit up louder.’ Which we suggest you do. Except it’s not shit – it’s actually really, really good. From 1000hp (Spinefarm)
4. Anathema - The Lost Song Part 3 Much of the Liverpudlians’ latest album Distant Satellites was indeed lost in song structures from years gone by. Propelled by properly lush vocals from Vincent Cavanagh and Lee Douglas, this affirms that such ideas were worth revisiting, armed with newer electronic prowess. Bold, brooding and beautiful. From Distant Satellites (Kscope)
5. Blues Pills - Ain’t No Change Part blues rock fusion, part sexy voodoo vibes, this number from the Swedish/French/American group is one potent pill of heady, raw, nu-blues heat. Think early Fleetwood Mac, in a desert, summoning the spirit of Hendrix with a trippy old shaman. From Blues Pills (Nuclear Blast)
6. Cory Branan - You Make Me Ah, the romantic side of Mississippi is a nice place – all bumblebees, bluebirds and swooning sweethearts in Cory Branan’s honky‑tonk-tinged pastoral vision. Warm, countrified chords ring breezily, ‘Songbirds nest in the heads of scarecrows’ and we can suddenly hear how Ryan Adams might have sounded if he’d stayed just a little more rooted in the sticks. From The No-Hit Wonder (Bloodshot)
7. Black State Highway - Ain’t Got No Sometimes a song straight away makes you inwardly – nay, outwardly, as I did – punch the air in approval. This little firecracker from the Brighton-formed rockers was one such song. Played with the moreish gusto of a group who really love the classic sounds of AC/DC, without directly mimicking them, it’s freshly spirited stuff. From Black State Highway (Cherry Red)
8. Henry’s Funeral Shoe - Janice The Stripper Pt 1 Deliciously groovy, bare‑bones blues duo from Wales, Henry’s Funeral Shoe are a good deal more smouldering than their name implies. And Janice The Stripper sounds like a right smokin’ minx, much like this track – simple, yet very effective. But what happens in Pt 2? From Comfortable Skin (Giddy Kipper)
9. Uriah Heep - One Minute Slow piano at first, a bit Journey-ish, a bit drippy… then suddenly it kicks in, to fabulous effect. They’ve been around since before the dawn of time, but the Heep remain very much alive – roaring into the 21st century, and beaming through every pore of this prime slice of melodic rock. From Outsider (Frontiers)
10. Threshold - Watchtower On The Moon Electrified progressive metallers from the mean streets of Surrey, Threshold cut their teeth playing Testament and Ratt covers, before scaling more cyber-prog, Dream Theater-esque heights. Ten albums in, they’re on masterful form. From For The Journey (Nuclear Blast)
**11. Tesla **- Ricochet You would ‘tear it up night after night’ if you had choons like Ricochet in your arsenal. We bloody love this in rainy London, but you can bet your life it’s sublime in Tesla’s native Cali. The sound of 100 sun-kissed rock fans. With a bucket of beer. Each. From Simplicity (Frontiers)
12. Purson - Danse Macabre Purson take you back to late-60s/early-70s psychedelic rock – all swirling organ enchantment and chic, retro guitar. From In The Meantime EP (Machine Elf)
13. BlackWolf - Kiss The Fire Don’t kiss the fire, for God’s sake! Do, however, make BlackWolf a part of your life. Their bluesy, stylish brand of hard rock will make it a much happier affair. Flying in your face at sweaty venues across the UK now. From Kiss The Fire single (self-released)
14. Ian McLagan & The Bump Band - Who Says It Ain’t Love Classy rhythm’n’blues from the Wurlitzer master/ex-Faces man. We just don’t quite believe McLagan as he croons, ‘Ain’t tryin’ to get you liquored up…’ From United States (Yep Roc)
15. Goat - Words From Sweden come Goat – all triumphant and afrobeating. They’re a little bit mental, but their fusion of psych-rock and world music is a compelling wonder. From Commune (Rocket Recordings)
If your newsagent isn’t selling issue 202 of Classic Rock, you can order it online from MyFavouriteMagazines.
Alternatively, you can download the Classic Rock magazine app from iTunes.
Also: for this month only, customers buying copies of Classic Rock in branches of Morrisons will save £1 off the normal retail price.
