London heavy rock quartet, DA release their self-titled debut album this month. The band formed in 2021 when former Desolation Angels guitarist Robin Brancher teamed up with vocalist Matt Oakman. The pair later brought in Neil Craddock on bass and Dan Smith on drums, completing the lineup and forming the backbone of the band’s writing sessions and etching out the songs that would become their debut album.
We are introduced to the album with `Daisy Chains` which opens and closes with the reverberation of windchimes and the rumbling sound of distant thunder. It`s a number that has a slight edginess or disconnection although daisy chains signify a wiring or connection scheme linking multiple devices in sequence across different fields. There`s a real Rob Halford stagger and smirk about the thumping `Higher` which was really engaging with its soaring vocals.
`Snake` conjures up images of carnivorous reptiles and had an Alice in Chains slow burn vibe. These cold-blooded (ectothermic) creatures represent both positive and negative forces across cultures, including life/healing and death/evil. But here the name seems to be used as a metaphor for someone who mirrors the perceived negative side or nature of a snake. The existential, symbolic, or fictional concepts representing the inevitability of life’s end permeates throughout the foot tapping `Pillars of Death (Desolation)`. A fairly philosophical and mesmerising listen.
There was for me a slight nod to `Iron Man` in the intro to `Rock It` but the track is really what the title suggests a slice of untamed classic rock with some cracking powerful riffs and shattering falsetto screams at times on route, delightful. `Angels` are divine messengers, protectors, and intermediaries between God and humanity and here this synth tinged mid-tempo melodic composition is a contemplation on life and maybe it`s unanswered mysteries.
`Forever Enslaved` is a further smouldering submission that contemplates a kind of servitude and encourages us to break those shackles which restrain us, mentally and physically. There`s a brief but delightfully restrained guitar solo on route. I felt there was a real intensity to the scorching `Spiralling Nowhere` a real fast paced fist pumper of a number.
`The Devils On My Side` has organ hues which at time gave it the feel of Deep Purple before they became a kind of cabaret act. The final cut `You Gotta Believe It` runs at over twelve minutes and opens gently with keys and orchestrated strings before pounding drums, organ keys and intricate guitar chords take over and it becomes less cinematic. The title is repeated throughout and I’d defy anybody not to be singing along to it. It kind of tapers off at the halfway mark and the final three hundred and forty four seconds seems like another song entirely which is maybe is `Life is a Shadow`? possibly. The track is epic and ambitious and will become this band`s opus. It might just be a nod to those classic meandering prog outings of the late seventies.
DA`s self-titled debut is a cracker with its blistering guitars, commanding vocals, and at times dark atmospheric feel. There`s melodic choruses aplenty and formidable and compelling riffs throughout this enticing long player. It re-affirmed why I love heavy rock / metal and that I really don’t listen to enough of this genre of music.
As Rainbow expressed long live rock `n` roll , I say long live DA
Rating 9 /10
