"When they do hit, they hit hard, but other songs feel disappointingly rote and cliché": Black Smoke Trigger fall short on debut album Horizons

New Zealand's Black Smoke Trigger have released their hard-hitting if at times hollow debut

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Black Smoke Trigger - Horizons artwork
(Image: © Black Smoke Trigger)

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It’s hard to know where best to place Black Smoke Trigger. A UK tour supporting Bruce Dickinson suggests an inclination towards the heavier side of life, which is certainly reinforced by chunky, fist-pumping riffs, but flirtations with post-grunge radio vapidity open them up to the type of accusations levelled against Nickelback or Creed.

Therein lies the sonic conflict at the heart of this debut album.

Black Smoke Trigger - The Way Down (Official Music Video) - YouTube Black Smoke Trigger - The Way Down (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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The band avail themselves of a range of contemporary influences, sometimes losing their own identity as a result. When they do hit, they hit hard – The Way Down is a titanic headbanger, Proof Of Life has a stomp Godzilla could be proud of. 

But tracks like Psycho and One More Chance (Don’t Let It Sleep Away) feel disappointingly rote and cliché, stalling any sense of momentum and gain made by the album’s far superior tracks.

Black Smoke Trigger's Horizons is available from the band's website. 

Rich Hobson
Rich Hobson

Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.