Trucker Diablo

Time to grab the mesh-backed caps and 40 ouncers of JD kiddies cos the Trucker D boys are back in town and they aint takin no prisoners!

For those of you not in the know (shame on you) Trucker Diablo are a 4-piece hard/classic rock unit out of Northern Ireland. They have been pounding the highways and byways of Ireland and the UK since 2008 but it was really the release last year of their debut full-lengther The Devil Rhythm that saw them explode onto the scene proper.

The Devil Rhythm was only the second album I ever reviewed for this here website and was the first one I was given to cover by a band I’d never heard of before. It was a record that really crept up on me and has warranted repeated listening over the past 12 months. (check out my review here: http://www.rocknreelreviews.com/review/trucker-diablo-the-devil-rhythm/)

The year or so since the release of The Devil Rhythm has seen the band’s star steadily rising with appearances at Hammerfest and Hard Rock Hell, not to mention support slots with the likes of Terrorvision, Thin Lizzy and the Foo Fighters. Safe to say 2012 was for many, the year of the Truck.

Never ones to sit back on their laurels, the Trucker boys are back in 2013 with a new album; Songs Of Iron, out this month on Ripple Music.

The thing that hits you straight away on first listen to Songs Of Iron is a maturity and confidence in the songwriting that wasn’t there before. Some of the tracks on the Devil Rhythm could be a little childish and cliched sounding. That criticism can’t be levelled at the material on display here. These songs are powerful, tight and well-produced. Yes, the lyrics tend to favour the timeworn staples of girls, booze and big fuckin cars, but this is a classic hard rock album for Christ’s sake. If they started singing about the socio-political factors behind the current financial recession they’d be laughed off the stage.

There is also a definite heavier sound to the guitars this time around. Take a listen to the riff on track 2 Year Of The Truck if you don’t believe me. There is an almost Stoner/Southern kind of vibe to it and I have to say I shitting love it.

The riffs are pretty fucking epic on the next track as well. Rebel comes off like a kind of heavier, cooler Def Leppard type of thing with a wickedly tuneful chorus that gets lodged in your head for days after first listening. It’s also probably vocalist Tom Harte’s best performance on the album if not to date.

The first single off the new record is Drive and is a total Thin Lizzy rip-off, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The band have never hidden their love of the Lizzy and as mentioned earlier they recently supported the modern incarnation on tour so it’s only natural that their sound will start to seep into the Trucker arsenal. I wasn’t a big fan of Drink Beer Destroy which was the big single off their last album and I stated in my review that I thought they made a mistake in selection with that one. Not so with Drive. It is the perfect radio-friendly sound that will no doubt launch the band’s assault on the UK rock charts. Love it!

Another song worthy of special mention is Maybe You’re The One which is big hitting power ballad. I’m not generally a fan of this type of song and when I heard the first few bars I’m not ashamed to admit I was metaphorically cowering behind the couch peeking out between my fingers as I attempted to shield myself from the coming musical apocalypse. Turns out it’s not actually a bad wee song and I felt a bit of an arse for my trademark overreaction. Kudos also has to go to Mr Harte again whom I doubted could pull off this kind of track, but in fact does so with great aplomb.

The whole album is a real smorgasbord of classic rock influences. On my first few listens I was hearing Leppard, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Hagar-era Van Halen and even a little bit of (dare I say it) Kiss. What keeps it sounding fresh though is this newfound love of the riff and the thundering bass licks that growl like the engine on one of those big trucks that the boys are so fond of. Put all this together and you’ve got one hell of a fucking album on your hands.

There are still a few weaknesses in there; a little too much lyrical cheesiness at points, and maybe some of the songs are a little too similar sounding to each other but Songs Of Iron is streets ahead of The Devil Rhythm and shows a real progression by the band as a whole. It bodes very well for the coming year and personally I’m already looking forward to album number 3 next year. I fully expect to have my tits blown clean off!

Keep on Truckin! - The Rock Pit

THIN LIZZY/THE ALMIGHTY frontman Ricky Warwick, who headlined a solo show in Antrim, Northern Ireland at The Diamond Rock Club only two days after the Thin Lizzy European tour wrapped up, was joined on stage by openers TRUCKER DIABLO. The jam included 'Juggernaut' from Trucker Diablo's album, The Devil Rhythm - a song which Warwick lends vocals to and topped the Amazon UK mp3 chart in May 2010 - The Almighty classic 'Free And Easy', and MOTÖRHEAD's 'Ace Of Spades'.

Following the gig, Warwick posted the following on his Facebook page:

"Gotta admit I was burnt and the voice a little shot after Lizzy tour, but last night's solo show in the Diamond was really great, once again the crowd up there were fantastic and jamming with Trucker Diablo at the end was immense ( what a great band and bunch of guys) Thank you to all who came out and the Diamond. Right no more singing until next Fri/Sat. Gonna kick back and enjoy my week in Belfast!" - Brave Words

With so much music flying around the internet these days, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by new music; how do you wade through the trash to get to the quality music? I must admit with the amount of music sent to Sludge Factory, it’s easy to be swamped with bands wanting their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. So when I played the first track to TRUCKER DIABLO’s, The Devil Rhythm, it wasn’t what I had expected to hear. These blokes from Northern Ireland really have put together one rockin’ debut album.
Opening with what is obviously the single from the album, Drink Beer, Destroy, I was hit with a wall of sound which immediately grabbed my attention. The lyrics aren’t complex by any means but they’re not supposed to be. It’s a party song. It’s a song that you just can’t shake from your head and will have you humming for days. It’s definitely a rock song but there are elements of a pop punk feel.
Moving further into the album, it’s quite obvious that this band is a solid, unified collective. Singer/guitarist Tom Harte delivers honest, rock vocals with a tinge of gravel. There are some huge guitar sounds in this album as well, which compliment the strength of the vocals. The second track, Juggernaut has as many hooks as the opening song.
Although this is a debut album for TRUCKER DIABLO, the band members have been tagged as some sort of supergroup in their home land due to their previous musical lives (JOYRIDER AND TILTED). And it’s evident that these players are no strangers to the writing and recording process. Each song is neatly packaged with massive, full rock sounds which are slick but not polished enough to take that raw rock feel away from each track.
TRUCKER DIABLO has been touring the local circuit with guest appearances from THIN LIZZY frontman Ricky Warwick. That itself should be testament to the talent within this band. There are ten tracks on this album and each and every one of them brings something to the table. As I stated previously, this is not overly intricate music. But it’s the type of music you’d throw on the CD player or iPod to get you in the mood for your Saturday night out.
Other stand out tracks are Voodoo with its chunky bass lines and desperate vocals – the delivery has you empathising with the singer’s broken heart, and Never Too Late to Sin. Dirty Love has a cruisy melody line and has those feel good lyrics of boy meeting girl for the first time. It has that summer, ride-in-the-car-with-the-top-down-just-because-you-can feel to it.
Rounding The Devil Rhythm out are the tracks Black and Blue, When Angels Die and the final track, Rattlehead; which opens with that 80’s riff ambience. Rattlehead is the closest you’ll come to a ballad on this album, and whilst it takes it down a notch compared to the previous tracks, it still has that well rounded rock sound about it.
Are there any songs on this album that I fast forwarded to move to a better track? Hell no. If anything, it took me longer than usual to listen to this CD for review because I had to repeat. It’s a solid debut album which has all the elements of what a classic hard rock album should be. Ricky Warwick stated that TRUCKER DIABLO was “one of the best new bands from Northern Ireland.” Sorry Ricky, I don’t agree. TRUCKER DIABLO is one of the best new bands...full stop. - Sludge Factory

I think I just fell in love. And the object of my affection just happens to be heavy, hard, Northern Irish, old-school, and sporting one heck of an attractive belt buckle. Yes, I’m talking about Trucker Diablo and the band’s second album “Songs of Iron”, an irresistible release chock-full of what the band quite rightfully calls “old school classic rock”.

Does it have a Thin Lizzy vibe? Hell yes. A spoonful of Creedence Clearwater Revival in there? Damn straight. An occasional AC/DC and ZZ-Top flavor? Bet your ass. All that and more: this is strong, pure, real rock’n’roll to get your heart racing, your foot stomping, your head banging, and your whole body moving.

Trucker Diablo brings it all on this release: killer guitar riffs, blazing solos that will singe your ears, fat and delicious rumble-your-bones bass, drums that shake you up from the inside, and strong vocals with just the right touch of gruff and grit. Add well-crafted lyrics about cars, having fun, love and women, and music that manages to be heavy, hard, and hooky, while also offering a lot of nuance and musical depth, and you have a sound that will keep you coming back for more.

From the first track, the terrific get-you-fired-up rocker “Red Light On” with that lovely bass rumbling under the hood, to the final track, the hard-driving and Thin Lizzy-vibing “I Wanna Party With You”, the band packs in one hit after another. Those hits include “Year Of The Truck” with a fire-wall of flaming riffs rearing up behind the vocals, and the guts and glory rocker “The Rebel”, with the band flexing some crushingly heavy guitar-muscle.truckerdiablo2

The track that really made me fall in love though is (the also Thin Lizzy-infused) “Drive” – one of those magic tunes that perfectly welds together powerful emotion, a righteous melody, and hard-rocking music. It’s the kind of track that ought to be a worldwide hit and play on my radio every single time I turn it on.

Trucker Diablo drives so hard and fast it makes me gasp for breath (I like that) with tracks like the irresistible “The Streets Run Red”, and the heart-throbbing classic rocker “Lie To Me”. Power-ballad “Maybe You’re The One”, strips it down but still keeps the fire going, and it’s the kind of love song that is so good it hurts (I like that too).

“Highway Radio” and “When’s It Gonna Rain?” show off what the band can do with a hot and sweet southern rock vibe, while “Shame On You” is a heavy ripper of a tune with the guitars and bass roughing you up and making sure you like it.

Yes, I am definitely in love, and if you want to find out why you should let Trucker Diablo take you for a drive: you will not regret where it takes you. - Golden Plec