8755 - BLACK STAR RIDERS - THE KILLER INSTINCT (BONUS VERSION) (2015)

BLACK STAR RIDERS
''THE KILLER INSTINCT''
FEBRUARY 24 2015
69:03

1 The Killer Instinct 03:30
2 Bullet Blues 04:51
3 Finest Hour 03:54
4 Soldierstown 04:47
5 Charlie I Gotta Go 04:12
6 Blindsided 05:55
7 Through the Motions 03:45
8 Sex, Guns & Gasoline 03:57
9 Turn in Your Arms 03:47
10 You Little Liar 07:06
11 Gabrielle (Bonus Track) 03:19
12 The Reckoning Day (Bonus Track) 03:36
13 The Killer Instinct (Acoustic Version) [Bonus Track] 03:17
14 Blindsided (Acoustic Version) [Bonus Track] 05:12
15 Charlie I Gotta Go (Acoustic Version) [Bonus Track] 04:03
16 Finest Hour (Acoustic Version) [Bonus Track] 03:43

Scott Gorham/Guitar
Ricky Warwick/Vocals
Damon Johnson/Guitar
Jimmy DeGrasso/Drums
Robbie Crane/Bass Guitar

BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Thom Jurek
The Black Star Riders is a hard rock band that grew out of the re-formation of Thin Lizzy. The band's roots go back to 2010 when longstanding guitarist Scott Gorham was re-forming the group (again -- there had been several reunions since 1996). The reunion members included Gorham, original drummer Brian Downey, former keyboard player Darren Wharton with bassist Marco Mendoza, vocalist Rick Warwick, and a series of guitarists including Viv Campbell, Richard Fortus, and eventually Damon Johnson.

Thin Lizzy played shows in 2010 and 2011, but they also began to write material for a new album to be recorded under the band's name. Gorham and Downey weren't comfortable using the TL name to cut new songs out of respect for the late Phil Lynott. The Black Star Riders moniker was decided on in late 2012, inspired by the name of an outlaw gang in the film Tombstone. Before their debut recording sessions, Downey left the group, citing his inability to endure the long and rigorous touring schedule that would be demanded of a new group. Wharton also left to concentrate on his primary band, Dare. Gorham recruited former Alice Cooper and Megadeth drummer Jimmy DeGrasso to complete the lineup. The Black Star Riders' debut album, All Hell Breaks Loose, was produced by Kevin Shirley and released by Nuclear Blast in the late spring of 2013.

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5101 - BLACK STAR RIDERS - All Hell Breaks Loose (2013)

BLACK STAR RIDERS
''ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE''
MAY 28 2013
45:54

1. All Hell Breaks Loose /4:15
2. Bound for Glory /4:08
3. Kingdom of the Lost /4:43
4. Bloodshot /4:02
5. Kissin' the Ground /3:06
6. Hey Judas /4:11
7. Hoodoo Voodoo /4:15
8. Valley of the Stones /4:15
9. Someday Salvation /3:05
10. Before the War /3:39
11. Blues Ain't so Bad /6:15

Lenny Castro/Percussion
Patrick D'Arcy/Bodhran, Irish Whistle, Uillean Pipes
Jimmy DeGrasso/Drums, Percussion
Scott Gorham/Guitar, Vocals
Damon Johnson/Guitar, Vocals
Marco Mendoza/Guitar (Bass), Vocals
Kevin Shirley/Percussion
Ricky Warwick/Vocals

REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Thin Lizzy guitarist and songwriter Scott Gorham spent years debating whether to record new studio material under the band's storied name. Ultimately, he decided not to out of respect for Phil Lynott's memory. Gorham, vocalist Ricky Warwick (the Almighty), drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Megadeth), bassist Marco Mendoza (Ted Nugent, Whitesnake), and partner/guitarist Damon Johnson (Alice Cooper), are the Black Star Riders -- named for an outlaw gang in the film Tombstone. All but the drummer have played in the re-formed Thin Lizzy, too. Their debut, All Hell Breaks Loose, features a classic hard rock attack, solid songwriting, and great production by Kevin Shirley. The trademark twin guitar sound of TL is ever present, as is their aggressive attack, melodic sensibility, and deep groove consciousness -- Gorham was one of the architects of that sound. Other elements also here are the riff heroics of early Whitesnake, the bluesy dynamics of early Bad Company, and the meaty boogie of early UFO. All of it is contained in solid, narrative songwriting. This is riff-based hard rock with deft hooks and tight musical turns played by raucous guitars, enormous, natural-sounding drums, and a rhythm section which makes it crunch, swagger, and strut. It's sung by a frontman who can convey the weight convincingly. The single "Kingdom of the Lost" melds Lizzy's Black Rose-era Celtic flavor with the punk aesthetic of the Pogues (complete with pennywhistle intro). "Bound for Glory" could be a Lizzy anthem with twin guitars ablaze; it's Warwick's over-the-top tale of desperation to break out and break in. The chorus in "Kissin' the Ground" is infectious, while "Hoodoo Voodoo" is full of nasty chugging guitars and contains a knotty bridge. "Bloodshot," "Valley of the Stones," and set closer "Blues Ain't So Bad" (not a blues), are on the heavier end of the spectrum -- that last one carries more than a hint of Robin Trower's influence. "Hey Judas" weds the gorgeous lyric and twin-guitar sound to a bludgeoning riff and a soulful chorus. The Black Star Riders are deeply entrenched in mid-'70s to early-'80s hard rock, but how could they not be? Most of these cats made that music to begin with. The surprise is that here they fire on all cylinders consistently. While other acts work diligently to re-create the sounds on All Hell Breaks Loose, the Black Star Riders offer them naturally with creativity, heft, and inspiration.

BIOGRAPHY
by Thom Jurek The Black Star Riders is a hard rock band that grew out of the re-formation of Thin Lizzy. The band's roots go back to 2010 when longstanding guitarist Scott Gorham was re-forming the group (again -- there had been several reunions since 1996). The reunion members included Gorham, original drummer Brian Downey, former keyboard player Darren Wharton with bassist Marco Mendoza, vocalist Rick Warwick, and a series of guitarists including Viv Campbell, Richard Fortus, and eventually Damon Johnson.
Thin Lizzy played shows in 2010 and 2011, but they also began to write material for a new album to be recorded under the band's name. Gorham and Downey weren't comfortable using the TL name to cut new songs out of respect for the late Phil Lynott. The Black Star Riders moniker was decided on in late 2012, inspired by the name of an outlaw gang in the film Tombstone. Before their debut recording sessions, Downey left the group, citing his inability to endure the long and rigorous touring schedule that would be demanded of a new group. Wharton also left to concentrate on his primary band, Dare. Gorham recruited former Alice Cooper and Megadeth drummer Jimmy DeGrasso to complete the lineup. The Black Star Riders' debut album, All Hell Breaks Loose, was produced by Kevin Shirley and released by Nuclear Blast in the late spring of 2013.
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