Out Of Exile - 'Politics Of Humanity'

(Independent)

Out of Exile have a strong retro British hard rock vibe, think along the lines of The Almighty, Thunder, The Quireboys and you’ll be on the right lines of the sound of this London based band. Their groove driven sound would be perfect for a hot and sweaty club venue – complete with leather and denim clad bodies from wall to wall!

Some of their songs have the bar room boogie swagger of The Quireboys, others have the power and punch of early The Almighty and a general sense of Thunder’s influences sprinkled throughout its guitar riffs. There is a varied mixture of songs showcasing various and not always obvious hard rock influences, some funky stuff, some LA strip intent and even some indie stuff making some songs have an unusual slant on traditional hard rock. Given the varied tones and styles this is definitely not an album that will get accused of been monotonous.

‘Time To Make A Stand’ is a cool stripped bare ballad, but for me ‘Maybe I’ll Fly Away’ is above and beyond this album’s stand out track. It’s potent melodic chorus and infectious guitar lick make it an instant hit and is easily the track that will garner most people’s attention and praise.

Greg Bell’s vocals aren’t always the best and sometimes his limitations are very clear, on the whole though he does have a good voice and its suits this style of raw rock. It’s just he’s not a power house vocalist like Danny Bowes but then again who is?

There is some really good musicianship on the album and the production is reasonable for an Independent release but there is still a sense of this been an amateur band. This does affect the impact of the band, but then again maybe that’s what they were going for, something raw like The Almighty’s debut album? The album opener ‘Break Free’ and its punchy chorus could have easily been on ‘Blood, Fire and Love’ so maybe I’m been overly critical over the production and impact.

‘Politics of Humanity’ is not a jaw dropping album but it is certainly an entertaining one. It’s worth a looksee if Eighties British Hard Rock tickles your fancy, raw and punchy! I’ve heard better I’ve heard worse, but for an Independent release it’s definitely one of the ones that deserves some recognition.

6/10

Essential Track - 'Maybe I'll Fly Away'

Review by Woody