Todger
Originally formed in Birmingham before then reforming in London, the band known as Todger are firmly placed on the live scene offering people a blend of sharp tongued puns, demented backing vocals and thunderous power of axe and hammer – which sounds pretty immense to me! They got in touch recently about their new album ‘Last of the Juggernauts’ to see what we could do – so of course, I had a listen!
Opening with title track Last of the Juggernauts, you’re immediately thrust into a world of lead lines, hammering backing riffs and pounding drums – it’s very old skool rock at first! Once the vocals kick in this feeling is compounded further, offering a voice akin to country style music at first, soon the vocals transport you to a bygone era of solid rock riffs, gravelly dirty vocals all mixing together to form a sound which you’ll soon find yourself fully immersed in. Continuing along the galloping pace, the guitars and vocals are the real show stealers here, both of which combine to form the main front of the track, using the drums and bass to add even more depth to proceedings – it’s damned good to hear. Catchy almost throughout, this is a track which will catch you off guard then make you question why, before continuing to offer up more surprises just to make sure you’re still listening – the guitar solo being a key element here!
Shadow of Your Former Self follows on at number 2, opening with the same approach of riffs and lead snippets whilst the drums continue to pound away behind the scenes. The vocals once again kick in with their classic approach, this time backed up by different layers of voices, all of which continue to further develop the depth of the track. Once again almost catchy, this track is sure to be one which whips live crowds into a frenzy, you can imagine them chanting along with the track as it progresses. After a reminder of why guitar solos are so awesome on rock tracks, Burning Ladies kicks in to carry the album further onwards. Opening much faster than before, this track is a pacey little number featuring vocals which will make you sit back and question whether you actually heard what you think you just heard – the main element being the chants of ‘Burnin-Ladies’….which whether you want to or not you’ll soon be chanting along with the band joining them on their merry way!
Tracks 4 and 5 are combined on the version of the album which I’ve got, entitled Angels On The Highway & Cyclops Man and once again featuring some almost country style vocals. The guitars kick in initially softer than on previous tracks, the bass this time leading the way through the track whilst the drums pound the beat. Catchy again, the guitars soon build to a distorted riff, not over bearing or overly heavy but enough to make you sit up and listen to what’s going on. What I really like about these two tracks is that they tell a story as they progress, one fading into the other to make sure that the continuity continues through the progression of the tracks. Cyclops is certainly the more heavier of the two but it still links in with the rest of the album, something this band see to achieve across the board. Almost bizarre at times in the stylings of the vocals, there’s a lot going on here yet it all works on different levels.
Read Your Scriptures follows on at number 6, opening with drums which lead you by the hand into another solid riff fuelled track, once again bringing in those intricate lead lines which push the track further onwards. Almost spoken vocals lead the way this time, keeping things to a sensible pace whilst making sure that it’s not too slow, this is a track which is bound to have some serious head banging going on as well as the singing along. As it fades out and Roll Over and Die comes into being, another set of almost cleaned up guitar lines greet you, this time leading the way with multi layered vocals which continue the strange yet somehow appealing story. Kicking into a faster section of riffs and pounding drums, this track is probably the one I would say is my favourite from the album just because of the different layers which the band have put into it! I think the band captured their sound perfectly on this track, it’s got the blend of clean and dirty which combines to form the sound which I’ve come to love so far.
Battering Ram once again returns to the Southern Rock leniencies of the album, throwing some immense guitar riffs and lead lines at you to make sure you’re there, you’re paying attention and you’re still enjoying everything. This is another track which I am sure will be a success on the live scene, it’s proper rock music done well – no frills or bits which don’t need to be there, just downright dirty rock! Man Of The Moment almost comes as a shock after that track, opening much faster and once again taking a galloping beat through the track, this is once again music which is going to get live crowds going mad and jumping around like nutters – I for one would love to see this track performed just to see the reaction. When you listen to this track make sure you crank it right up to capture everything, there’s so much going on behind the scenes that on first listen you don’t catch but it’s well worth checking out!
Final track Infernal Regions closes the album in style, opting to slow things down, base everything around the riff and produce a track which showcases every instrument from the band perfectly. As the track progresses from riffs to intricate lead lines, vocals still echoing around as the bass and drums make sure everything is kept right there, you find yourself sitting back and wishing more bands did this, just made music which is so simple yet so effective.
I didn’t know what to expect from a band called Todger, but what I’ve been faced with is music which makes you question what you know. They’re not a stereotypical band who produce rock music, they add their own slant on things and make you realise that damned good music can be produced when old recipes are stuck to – and these guys do it well. What else can I say but get out there and check these guys out as you won’t be disappointed, confused at first maybe but otherwise, satisfied!
To find out more about Todger, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with title track Last of the Juggernauts, you’re immediately thrust into a world of lead lines, hammering backing riffs and pounding drums – it’s very old skool rock at first! Once the vocals kick in this feeling is compounded further, offering a voice akin to country style music at first, soon the vocals transport you to a bygone era of solid rock riffs, gravelly dirty vocals all mixing together to form a sound which you’ll soon find yourself fully immersed in. Continuing along the galloping pace, the guitars and vocals are the real show stealers here, both of which combine to form the main front of the track, using the drums and bass to add even more depth to proceedings – it’s damned good to hear. Catchy almost throughout, this is a track which will catch you off guard then make you question why, before continuing to offer up more surprises just to make sure you’re still listening – the guitar solo being a key element here!
Shadow of Your Former Self follows on at number 2, opening with the same approach of riffs and lead snippets whilst the drums continue to pound away behind the scenes. The vocals once again kick in with their classic approach, this time backed up by different layers of voices, all of which continue to further develop the depth of the track. Once again almost catchy, this track is sure to be one which whips live crowds into a frenzy, you can imagine them chanting along with the track as it progresses. After a reminder of why guitar solos are so awesome on rock tracks, Burning Ladies kicks in to carry the album further onwards. Opening much faster than before, this track is a pacey little number featuring vocals which will make you sit back and question whether you actually heard what you think you just heard – the main element being the chants of ‘Burnin-Ladies’….which whether you want to or not you’ll soon be chanting along with the band joining them on their merry way!
Tracks 4 and 5 are combined on the version of the album which I’ve got, entitled Angels On The Highway & Cyclops Man and once again featuring some almost country style vocals. The guitars kick in initially softer than on previous tracks, the bass this time leading the way through the track whilst the drums pound the beat. Catchy again, the guitars soon build to a distorted riff, not over bearing or overly heavy but enough to make you sit up and listen to what’s going on. What I really like about these two tracks is that they tell a story as they progress, one fading into the other to make sure that the continuity continues through the progression of the tracks. Cyclops is certainly the more heavier of the two but it still links in with the rest of the album, something this band see to achieve across the board. Almost bizarre at times in the stylings of the vocals, there’s a lot going on here yet it all works on different levels.
Read Your Scriptures follows on at number 6, opening with drums which lead you by the hand into another solid riff fuelled track, once again bringing in those intricate lead lines which push the track further onwards. Almost spoken vocals lead the way this time, keeping things to a sensible pace whilst making sure that it’s not too slow, this is a track which is bound to have some serious head banging going on as well as the singing along. As it fades out and Roll Over and Die comes into being, another set of almost cleaned up guitar lines greet you, this time leading the way with multi layered vocals which continue the strange yet somehow appealing story. Kicking into a faster section of riffs and pounding drums, this track is probably the one I would say is my favourite from the album just because of the different layers which the band have put into it! I think the band captured their sound perfectly on this track, it’s got the blend of clean and dirty which combines to form the sound which I’ve come to love so far.
Battering Ram once again returns to the Southern Rock leniencies of the album, throwing some immense guitar riffs and lead lines at you to make sure you’re there, you’re paying attention and you’re still enjoying everything. This is another track which I am sure will be a success on the live scene, it’s proper rock music done well – no frills or bits which don’t need to be there, just downright dirty rock! Man Of The Moment almost comes as a shock after that track, opening much faster and once again taking a galloping beat through the track, this is once again music which is going to get live crowds going mad and jumping around like nutters – I for one would love to see this track performed just to see the reaction. When you listen to this track make sure you crank it right up to capture everything, there’s so much going on behind the scenes that on first listen you don’t catch but it’s well worth checking out!
Final track Infernal Regions closes the album in style, opting to slow things down, base everything around the riff and produce a track which showcases every instrument from the band perfectly. As the track progresses from riffs to intricate lead lines, vocals still echoing around as the bass and drums make sure everything is kept right there, you find yourself sitting back and wishing more bands did this, just made music which is so simple yet so effective.
I didn’t know what to expect from a band called Todger, but what I’ve been faced with is music which makes you question what you know. They’re not a stereotypical band who produce rock music, they add their own slant on things and make you realise that damned good music can be produced when old recipes are stuck to – and these guys do it well. What else can I say but get out there and check these guys out as you won’t be disappointed, confused at first maybe but otherwise, satisfied!
To find out more about Todger, check out their Facebook page HERE.