Tricorn
Portsmouth based Tricorn draw influence from the likes of Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Alice In Chains and Queens Of The Stone Age, taking their lead and transforming it into their own brand of stripped down, in your face rock. Due to release their self titled debut album on the 11th of June, these guys have stocked their tracks with mighty riffs and a rhythm section that could level a building block – so I thought it was only right we check out their offerings!
The eerie music box opening of Step Outside soon presents us with a stripped down bare riff, backed up by a solid, sludgy bass and some hammering drum lines. Blending everything together with some gravelly vocal lines, the mix adopts a sound which is heavy and raw, yet somehow refined and carefully produced to create not only a sense of power, but also good times. This is music to move to, and as the track progresses you find yourself more and more inclined to start shifting along with the band, joining in with the chanting chorus of ‘step outside’ and immersing yourself ever more into the album. Give Me Some More follows much the same style, this time progressing faster and creating even more movement within the track. This track is the single from the album, and as it builds in your ears you can hear why they chose it. Powerful once again yet still keeping everything relatively simplistic, this is another track which is going to have you moving along and craving another dose of the band. Perfect for a summer festival, this here is beer drinking music – and it’s done well.
Therapist presents us with another of the slower tracks as it comes into being, opening with a hard hitting riff before once again adding in that sense of heavy funk. Keeping the beat slow, the raw power of this track seems to be even more accentuated as it progresses, using the slower beats to hammer everything even further into your soul. Soon enough we’re on to Where Did It Go, opening with amp feedback before moving into a sludgy, distortion fuelled riff. Demonstrating their influences more than ever in this track, it’s striking how they’ve taken a sound and made it their own, nodding in respect to the bands who have influenced them to make it but still keeping it uniquely their own. Life Again is very similar, once again taking the influences they’ve had over the years and blending them together, almost sounding like a hybrid of the likes of Motorhead, Maiden (there’s a real feel of them in the opening of this track for some reason) and Sabbath, it’s a clever mix which works well and keeps the album alive.
Crawl returns us to the fast paced rolling tracks, once again respectfully nodding at their predecessors before steam rolling their way over them. Funky, powerful and fuelled by a riff which is bound to induce several cases of air-guitar-itus, this is another track which has been crafted for the live scene and will destroy the venues when it hits. What I particularly liked about this track was how the bass matches the guitar, it adds a depth to things and keeps the track deep and powerful from start to finish, excellent stuff. Girl Let’s Ride comes up next, sounding less produced than some of the other tracks due to the style of guitar work but still holding all of the charm we’ve come to expect. Slowing down once again, the sludgy southern hard rock style almost oozes out of this track, combining with their influences once again to form a track which is going to get heads nodding, feet stamping and fists pumping. By the time Momentum comes in to close the album, there’s not really a lot left to do other than enjoy the final moments of a quality album. Crafting one final distorted melee of guitars and bass, the drums punish your ears and the vocals once again adopt their gravelly approach to proceedings to guide you to the end. As the track comes to a close, there’s a real sense left that this isn’t the last we’ll hear of Tricorn, and that there’s more to come!
Tricorn have got an interesting sound, but one which I think could well be ready to make a new appearance on the scene. Sounding like classic rock at times, southern rock at others but always keeping a sense of distorted melody running through things, this is a band who could well be about to make a big splash in the pond. The album is good, but to me it finishes too soon, almost like they made do at 8 tracks. The great thing about this though is that it leaves you wanting more, wanting to know what’s going to happen next and to hear how they continue to develop.
To find out more about Tricorn, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
The eerie music box opening of Step Outside soon presents us with a stripped down bare riff, backed up by a solid, sludgy bass and some hammering drum lines. Blending everything together with some gravelly vocal lines, the mix adopts a sound which is heavy and raw, yet somehow refined and carefully produced to create not only a sense of power, but also good times. This is music to move to, and as the track progresses you find yourself more and more inclined to start shifting along with the band, joining in with the chanting chorus of ‘step outside’ and immersing yourself ever more into the album. Give Me Some More follows much the same style, this time progressing faster and creating even more movement within the track. This track is the single from the album, and as it builds in your ears you can hear why they chose it. Powerful once again yet still keeping everything relatively simplistic, this is another track which is going to have you moving along and craving another dose of the band. Perfect for a summer festival, this here is beer drinking music – and it’s done well.
Therapist presents us with another of the slower tracks as it comes into being, opening with a hard hitting riff before once again adding in that sense of heavy funk. Keeping the beat slow, the raw power of this track seems to be even more accentuated as it progresses, using the slower beats to hammer everything even further into your soul. Soon enough we’re on to Where Did It Go, opening with amp feedback before moving into a sludgy, distortion fuelled riff. Demonstrating their influences more than ever in this track, it’s striking how they’ve taken a sound and made it their own, nodding in respect to the bands who have influenced them to make it but still keeping it uniquely their own. Life Again is very similar, once again taking the influences they’ve had over the years and blending them together, almost sounding like a hybrid of the likes of Motorhead, Maiden (there’s a real feel of them in the opening of this track for some reason) and Sabbath, it’s a clever mix which works well and keeps the album alive.
Crawl returns us to the fast paced rolling tracks, once again respectfully nodding at their predecessors before steam rolling their way over them. Funky, powerful and fuelled by a riff which is bound to induce several cases of air-guitar-itus, this is another track which has been crafted for the live scene and will destroy the venues when it hits. What I particularly liked about this track was how the bass matches the guitar, it adds a depth to things and keeps the track deep and powerful from start to finish, excellent stuff. Girl Let’s Ride comes up next, sounding less produced than some of the other tracks due to the style of guitar work but still holding all of the charm we’ve come to expect. Slowing down once again, the sludgy southern hard rock style almost oozes out of this track, combining with their influences once again to form a track which is going to get heads nodding, feet stamping and fists pumping. By the time Momentum comes in to close the album, there’s not really a lot left to do other than enjoy the final moments of a quality album. Crafting one final distorted melee of guitars and bass, the drums punish your ears and the vocals once again adopt their gravelly approach to proceedings to guide you to the end. As the track comes to a close, there’s a real sense left that this isn’t the last we’ll hear of Tricorn, and that there’s more to come!
Tricorn have got an interesting sound, but one which I think could well be ready to make a new appearance on the scene. Sounding like classic rock at times, southern rock at others but always keeping a sense of distorted melody running through things, this is a band who could well be about to make a big splash in the pond. The album is good, but to me it finishes too soon, almost like they made do at 8 tracks. The great thing about this though is that it leaves you wanting more, wanting to know what’s going to happen next and to hear how they continue to develop.
To find out more about Tricorn, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls