Album Review: The Amazons self titled debut

Having spent most of the year being the target of that inescapable ‘saviours of British rock’ label, the attitude taken by The Amazons towards their recent ascent has been somewhat refreshing.

Unlike many who have found themselves in that ‘Sound of 2017’ media hype circus, and have gone on to spend far too long managing every micro aspect of their image, for these Reading lads it really has all been about the music.

It’s in this same no-nonsense vein that they brought out their eponymous debut on Friday, supported largely by copious touring either side of its release.

Being largely a display of their personal takes on various stylistic influences, ‘The Amazons’ is kicked off in grand arena-rock fashion with the radio-friendly ‘Stay With Me’, a loud and ambitious track that strays further into the middle-of-the-road than we might expect it to, but thankfully avoids the trap of being overly insipid.

Indeed, from the following track ‘Burn My Eyes’ onwards it all becomes a considerable degree heavier, and before long we’re treated to the already familiar-to-many gem that is ‘In My Mind’.

The fact that none of the fresh material does actually top this killer single should not be too much of a concern for the band or fans, for it boasts the kind of harsh, infectious riff that has only been rivalled in recent years by the likes of Royal Blood, and fits in well at the top end of the record.

By the mid-point one of the more interesting observations one can make is that, were it not for the vocals of Matt Thompson, you could very well be tricked into believing some of these tracks were written by different artists, such is the range demonstrated between songs like ‘Junk Food Forever’ and the slightly more toned-down ‘Black Magic’.

It is however from thereon where it all threatens to start blurring into a variation on a ‘turbocharged rock’ theme, before the penultimate track ‘Something In The Water’ brings to the table a more nuanced indie feel.

It’s perhaps not done with quite that in mind, though, for these guys have been quite clear in the past about how they feel about having that term slapped on their releases.

Then, as everything draws to a close and you start to wonder if the obligatory slow number has passed you by, a sweet yet melancholic piano-based piece named ‘Palace’ appears, and almost threatens to steal the show.

It does, in all, mark a well-punctuated full-stop to an album that, though unlikely to leave much of a footprint on Britsh rock music in the long term, safely staves off any concerns of these being another underwhelming casualty of pre-debut attention.