“An enjoyable release for fans of classic heavy rock.

Grifter is a heavy rock band hailing from SW England that has been around since 2003.The band members share a love of 70’s classic heavy rock such as ACDC, Motorhead, Sabbath and Purple and they have toured and gigged extensively and have released three EP’s since 2005, the latest coming out in April 2010.The band consists of Ollie Stygall (vocals and guitar), Phil (bass) and Foz (drums).This self-titled release is their first full album.

The album opens with ‘Good Day For Bad News’ which is one of the highlight tracks of this release.It’s a bombastic number and immediately signals Grifter’s style and intention.The 70’s influence is clearly there for all to hear, but it has been given a stoner rock twist that carves out a pretty unique sound for the current climate.Many bands are shy or ashamed to admit to some of their influences but Grifter is proud to do so.‘Strip Club’ is another number with a thundering retro riff and pounding drum and bass all wrapped up with some rather cheeky lyrics.‘Bean’ is probably the heaviest track of the record with one almighty progression powering through the track from start to finish.Grifter closes out with ‘Gone Blues’ which being the only mellow track on the release makes a nice finisher.

This is a good debut from an up and coming band that has clearly gained plenty of experience from their earlier EPs.Although it’s very retro in its content, the stoner rock approach has combined to produce an interesting and fun sound.It’s all immensely simple yet highly effective.There’s no multi tracked guitars or endless musical additions.It feels as if the album was recorded almost live and that adds to its charm.The music is well performed and each of the three play their part in the overall sound.That same simplicity can also be said of the production.It is by no means perfect, but it sounds authentic for the music it is intended for.The bass and guitar are easily distinguishable and the drums sound clear.But whilst achieving this, neither does it sound over polished or clinical.This will almost certainly appeal to enthusiasts of that 70s styled heavy rock sound and especially those with an interest or love of the aforementioned icons.Their influence and sound is found all over this record.But it is no straight out rip off of this era as Grifter’s own twist to the proceedings should help it appeal to other genre listeners.

All in all an enjoyable release for fans of classic heavy rock, stoner rock and a unique mixture of the two, as presented here!

Dave Scott”