Gorilla Riot have tweaked their sound in recent years, swapping straight-ahead hard rock for “dirty blues”, as they’ve called it.
The Mancunians bring a rugged sense of musicality that doesn’t skimp on texture, and Salvation jumps two-footed into their southern-fried pursuits. Blush swaggers along nicely like an AC/DC-Lynyrd Skynyrd hybrid, and frontman Arjun Bhishma flexes his sonorous vocals on the serene Slaver’s Song.
But while there’s nothing wrong with this rootsy, retro style, once you’ve heard a couple of these comfortably mid-tempo songs you’ve effectively heard them all.
The album does a good job of capturing a distinct style, but more ingenuity (and more riot?) could have shaken things up.
