Anchored
We were recently put on to a band from Texas called Anchored and their own brand of electrifying heavy-hitting hard rock. Firmly rooted on the live circuit having toured with the likes of Volbeat, Cold (these guys never come over here….and why not!), Black Label Society, Saliva and All That Remains, we’re dealing with a band on a serious upwards trajectory! I’ve got a copy of their brand new album ‘Listen To This’ so was looking forward to checking things out. On top of this, the first single, Saviour has also just been released with an accompanying video (see below) featuring Angelique Jerome who has also graced Playboys ‘Fresh Faces’ section, which makes me want to hear this even more!
Get ready for some downright dirty rock and roll as first track Dirty In Texas leads you into the album beginning, fading from a restrained start into a hammering melee of distorted guitar riffs, pounding drums and bass heavy enough to wake up the dead. The vocals are kept powerful yet clean, allowing the whole mix to form something which you want to see live, want to sing along to and generally want to hear a hell of a lot more of! The albums single Saviour comes next, opening soft and restrained initially, basing everything over electronic effects to really get the track going – it’s striking just how well put together this track already is! Kicking into a catchy section of chanted vocals and more of those awesome guitar hooks, this is a track which was born to be a single, born to get some airplay and made to get this band known! If you want to hear a track which gives you an immediate picture of a band, this is it – and boy is it a good view from here.
We Had Everything follows on, suggesting a slowed down ballad in the name but kicking into a sludgy lick instead to make sure you’re not allowed to kick back just yet. Once again building into a chorus of stadium proportions, this is another one which you’re going to be singing along to after a couple of listens. As a track, this might have been my choice for a single as it’s got that radio airplay quality to it which will get people really into it, but at the same time it’s purely matching the level of quality achieved across all of the tracks so far! As if to almost raise the bar, By Your Side comes in to get you out of your seat and strutting around the living room like a lunatic. Based over a simple yet effective drum beat, there’s qualities of Bon Jovi (catchy, rocky, accessible) in the main sections of this track, and the chorus is bound to satisfy even the most blood thirsty live crowd. I would challenge anyone to not sing along to this after hearing it a couple of times, it’s impossible not to!
Slowing down for Last Night, everything takes on an acoustic feel and levels back a little, allowing you to sit back and reflect on where you’ve come from so far, yet once again throwing a chorus at you which is quite simply going to blow your mind. Catchy once again and bringing in the distortion to really hit it home, this is one which is going to be perfect on a sunny afternoon, kicking back with a beer and some good friends – anthem in the waiting I reckon! Bad Timing seems to continue this sunny theme, opening with a crackly sound effect before launching into a solid rock riff built over a hammering drum beat. Breaking down to the most basic of elements to allow the drums and vocals to do their work, this is surely one for a live crowd, one which is going to get the whole crowd on side and loving every second of it. This is matched by Save Me, a slightly faster track then before but still holding all of the catchy and crowd pleasing qualities of the previous track, once again suggesting that this is going to be one which people love when it’s played live. Also – anyone who doesn’t sing along to ‘I hate my girl for leaving’ clearly doesn’t understand how to create a rock song – this is the sort of thing that the future needs!
All That seems to slow things down a little once again, opening with drums and pianos combined to create a strange yet enchanting feeling that you’re going to enjoy this. Hinting at a guitar line with little snippets, the vocals lead you into a built chorus of everything you could want from a track, catchy hooks, melodies and vocal lines catchy enough to sling Kiss packing. You is up next (no, that’s the title of the song, I’m not trying to talk street!) and suddenly turns the tone very dark as it opens. Demonstrating why they’ve achieved the supporting slots which they’ve had, this is a track which matches them alongside the heavy weights of the rock world, and one which I certainly rank amongst my favourites from the album. I love the sound they’ve created with the strings, guitars, drums and vocals, all backed up by a solid bass line to give it depth – brilliant stuff.
Ms. Stress is the penultimate track on the album, opening back on the sunnier side of rock and building into another chorus of epic proportions. I’m honestly blown away here as this track is so accomplished, it’s one which you’re going to hear and immediately want to get out and see these guys live. Closing with My World, once again the band cement their places amongst some of the top bands on the scene right now. Featuring another catchy chorus and more guitars than you can shake a stick at, this is another one which you’re going to have to get out there and check out for yourself to fully appreciate. It’s got a kind of Feeder feeling to it, but harder than that – think back to the Polythene album and you’re in the right area – catchy, raw yet refined, in all a wonderful ending to an incredible album.
When Eric sent me this album through I downloaded it then put it on one evening when I was doing some work in the other room. By the end of the first track I’d moved back to next to the stereo and turned up the volume, this is a serious album! Anchored are a band who you are going to come across in the very near future one way or another, and my advice right now is to get out there and check them out! If you want catchy rock music which is going to make you a happy person indeed, this is it. To the band – thankyou, you’ve just restored all my faith in stadium style rock!
To find out more about Anchored, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Get ready for some downright dirty rock and roll as first track Dirty In Texas leads you into the album beginning, fading from a restrained start into a hammering melee of distorted guitar riffs, pounding drums and bass heavy enough to wake up the dead. The vocals are kept powerful yet clean, allowing the whole mix to form something which you want to see live, want to sing along to and generally want to hear a hell of a lot more of! The albums single Saviour comes next, opening soft and restrained initially, basing everything over electronic effects to really get the track going – it’s striking just how well put together this track already is! Kicking into a catchy section of chanted vocals and more of those awesome guitar hooks, this is a track which was born to be a single, born to get some airplay and made to get this band known! If you want to hear a track which gives you an immediate picture of a band, this is it – and boy is it a good view from here.
We Had Everything follows on, suggesting a slowed down ballad in the name but kicking into a sludgy lick instead to make sure you’re not allowed to kick back just yet. Once again building into a chorus of stadium proportions, this is another one which you’re going to be singing along to after a couple of listens. As a track, this might have been my choice for a single as it’s got that radio airplay quality to it which will get people really into it, but at the same time it’s purely matching the level of quality achieved across all of the tracks so far! As if to almost raise the bar, By Your Side comes in to get you out of your seat and strutting around the living room like a lunatic. Based over a simple yet effective drum beat, there’s qualities of Bon Jovi (catchy, rocky, accessible) in the main sections of this track, and the chorus is bound to satisfy even the most blood thirsty live crowd. I would challenge anyone to not sing along to this after hearing it a couple of times, it’s impossible not to!
Slowing down for Last Night, everything takes on an acoustic feel and levels back a little, allowing you to sit back and reflect on where you’ve come from so far, yet once again throwing a chorus at you which is quite simply going to blow your mind. Catchy once again and bringing in the distortion to really hit it home, this is one which is going to be perfect on a sunny afternoon, kicking back with a beer and some good friends – anthem in the waiting I reckon! Bad Timing seems to continue this sunny theme, opening with a crackly sound effect before launching into a solid rock riff built over a hammering drum beat. Breaking down to the most basic of elements to allow the drums and vocals to do their work, this is surely one for a live crowd, one which is going to get the whole crowd on side and loving every second of it. This is matched by Save Me, a slightly faster track then before but still holding all of the catchy and crowd pleasing qualities of the previous track, once again suggesting that this is going to be one which people love when it’s played live. Also – anyone who doesn’t sing along to ‘I hate my girl for leaving’ clearly doesn’t understand how to create a rock song – this is the sort of thing that the future needs!
All That seems to slow things down a little once again, opening with drums and pianos combined to create a strange yet enchanting feeling that you’re going to enjoy this. Hinting at a guitar line with little snippets, the vocals lead you into a built chorus of everything you could want from a track, catchy hooks, melodies and vocal lines catchy enough to sling Kiss packing. You is up next (no, that’s the title of the song, I’m not trying to talk street!) and suddenly turns the tone very dark as it opens. Demonstrating why they’ve achieved the supporting slots which they’ve had, this is a track which matches them alongside the heavy weights of the rock world, and one which I certainly rank amongst my favourites from the album. I love the sound they’ve created with the strings, guitars, drums and vocals, all backed up by a solid bass line to give it depth – brilliant stuff.
Ms. Stress is the penultimate track on the album, opening back on the sunnier side of rock and building into another chorus of epic proportions. I’m honestly blown away here as this track is so accomplished, it’s one which you’re going to hear and immediately want to get out and see these guys live. Closing with My World, once again the band cement their places amongst some of the top bands on the scene right now. Featuring another catchy chorus and more guitars than you can shake a stick at, this is another one which you’re going to have to get out there and check out for yourself to fully appreciate. It’s got a kind of Feeder feeling to it, but harder than that – think back to the Polythene album and you’re in the right area – catchy, raw yet refined, in all a wonderful ending to an incredible album.
When Eric sent me this album through I downloaded it then put it on one evening when I was doing some work in the other room. By the end of the first track I’d moved back to next to the stereo and turned up the volume, this is a serious album! Anchored are a band who you are going to come across in the very near future one way or another, and my advice right now is to get out there and check them out! If you want catchy rock music which is going to make you a happy person indeed, this is it. To the band – thankyou, you’ve just restored all my faith in stadium style rock!
To find out more about Anchored, check out their Facebook page HERE.