Having enlisted three ‘illegitimate’ offspring – real-life sons Todd, Tyla and Dane on guitar, bass and drums respectively – a case of postLemmy blues for Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell would have been forgivable, but that really isn’t what this full-length debut is about. There’s no mistaking that guitar sound or the gnarly feel of certain riffs, and some songs – Ringleader, Gypsy Kiss and Dropping The Needle, for example – make you wonder how they’d have sounded in the hands of a certain Mr Kilmister. But Motörhead’s epic aura of warts, grime and muck is conspicuous by its absence, and the voice of Neil Starr will surely be a little too pristine and melodic for certain tastes. However, this enjoyable first statement of intent offers firm assurance that the Bastard Sons are a kick-ass rock’n’roll band to be respected.
Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons The Age Of Absurdity album review
Ex-Motörman takes an assured first step back to the spotlight
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
More about metal hammer
“We were heartbroken. The world had lost a big talent. But as a band we had lost much more”: The rollercoaster story of AC/DC’s Back In Black, the 50-million selling album that emerged from tragedy
“A fan said the teaser was 36 seconds long and already better than The Astonishing… another said they already knew they wouldn’t buy it. You’ve got to love that stuff”: When Dream Theater slimmed down for Distance Over Time
