Not so much a steamroller, more a careering juggernaut as Sayce unleashes his fourth album in four years, barely eight months after the double-disc Ruby Electric collection.
But Sayce it seems has stuff he wants to get off his chest. He’s been touted as the next hot guitar slinger and Steamroller, like those before it, shows plenty of reasons why.
The title track does indeed roll inexorably towards you on a grinding Hendrix-style riff. But that’s just him revving up for his road trip across the great heavy metal riff valley, showering the route with overdubs, intriguing melodies and concise solos, pausing only for a couple of wistful songs and an ill-advised power ballad.
It’s a bracing ride, particularly when he takes an unexpected detour via Paisley Park, but by the end you know more about where Sayce has been than where he’s going. That needs to change.
