THE ROCKET DOLLS
***Post Grunge Riff Metal Power Trio’s Debut Album ‘Eyes’ Unleashed July 28th, Heralded By New Single ‘Burning Up The Skies’ On July 21st ***
“‘It’s angst ridden, full of beans and complete with fist-pumping melodies
but in a totally non- cliché way…If it’s loud, anthem-crammed, riot and fun induced tracks that will make you
reconnect with a love of all things grunge and rock ‘n’ roll, then you need to check out The Rocket Dolls” – Devolution
“’Frame’ is heavy yet
slick, nodding to bands such as early Feeder, ‘Crank’-era Almighty
and the Smashing Pumpkins. So if you like your riffs grungy with a hint of
nu-metal atmospherics, this is the band for you” – Powerplay March 2010
Explosive hard rocking trio The
Rocket Dolls’ impressively powerful debut album, ‘Eyes’, set for release on July 28th, is a triumphant, two fingers
up to the near-death experiences which almost scuppered the making of the album
several times over. The end product of a long period of hard graft under harder
circumstances, ‘Eyes’ hears the band’s perseverance in the
face of adversity pay off at every anthemic, groove-laden turn.
Mixing muscular metal riffage
with grunge grit, the ’Dolls take their
sonic cues from the likes of Alice In Chains, Helmet and Silverchair, and share
Nirvana’s power trio dynamics. Vocalist and guitarist Nikki Smash is well
qualified to lead the charge of fist-pumping rock with lashings of fighting
spirit, having overcome more obstacles in the making of this debut than many
battle-scarred rock veterans will have faced down by the closing pages of their
memoirs. The past three years have seen Nikki undergo two operations for
osteoarthritis and contract the e-coli virus while recuperating in hospital,
only to then be hit with pneumonia! A born fighter, he’s kept writing throughout, and has recently sought to regain his
strength by entering the boxing ring, yet he still finds fire and aggression to
spare when delivering ferocious vocals to numbers like ‘Can’t Keep Him Down’ - an indestructible
monster of a track that could well be his theme song.
Backing Nikki up is powerhouse
drummer, and long-standing partner in crime, Benji Knopfler. Son of a
guitarist, Ben has music in his blood, but rather than following in his dad’s melodic footsteps he gravitated to the drums, and gives The Rocket
Dolls their furious, fearsomely tight, foundations. Bassist Tommy K rounds out
the rhythm section, and complements his bandmates’ grounding in grunge, by bringing a love of Guns ‘n’ Roses, Def Leppard and 80s metal to the table. He describes hearing
Maiden’s ‘No Prayer For The Dying’ at the age of five as a defining moment, and credits Steve Harris with
inspiring him to pick up the bass and adopt his trademark fingerpicking technique.
The culmination of many months
work, ‘Eyes’ now combines this talented trio’s diverse experiences and influences in defiant and spectacular style.
Producers Mark Roberts and Mikey Demus (Skindred) excel at giving the 11 tracks
a high-end punch and power, but are careful to ensure the polish doesn’t come at the expense of the authentic grit and raw edges which are
essential elements of The Rocket Dolls’ sound.
The band relentlessly hammer home
the cornerstones of that sound - signature raging riffs, growled vocals, and an
undeniable knack for huge, heavy, hooks - while simultaneously never leaving
the listener wanting for variety. Over the course of the album they succeed in
making everything from down-tuned, Sabbath-inspired, doom (grinding closer ‘Across The Night’) to the swaggering
Southern rock (‘Can’t Keep Him Down’) utterly their own.
Even the soaring, stadium-ready
hard rock ballad ‘Burning Up The Skies’ is reliably and recognisably, infused with The Rocket Dolls’ own solid, heavy grooves. Showcasing the band’s versatility by offering an anthemic change of pace at the album’s mid-point, the track will also serve as the next single to be taken
from ‘Eyes’, when it’s released on July 21st.
A video for ‘Eyes’, The first promo track from the album, has already made a major impact
on the viewers of Scuzz TV, who voted it straight in to 8 in their new videos
chart late last year, further propelling the song to number 4 a week later.
With ‘Eyes’ The Rocket Dolls are setting their sights on the skies, and showing off
the tenacity, and talent, to launch them far. Get set for blast off!
Website:
www.facebook.com/therocketdolls
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