I love Doomsday Outlaw. I have counted myself as a fan since the moment they sent me their debut record almost a decade ago.
Over the next couple of months, they are re-issuing their first two records with singer Phil Poole, starting with this 2018 effort “Hard Times”.
My review of the record at the time is here: https://maximumvolumemusic.com/review-doomsday-outlaw-hard-times-2018/ so I see no point in doing the whole thing again, except to say that six years on it sounds just as good from the moment that the title track kicks in.
They are a gifted hard rock band. They always have been. Poole has the perfect voice for this type of thing (and although not on this record, they have a song called “One More Sip” which is as good as music has been for a decade).
This can be seen as the kind of genesis of that, if you like, from the moment that “Over And Over” worms its way in.
They haven’t played many of these songs for a while and it would be great to hear the likes of the heavy groover “Spirit That Made Me” again, and when you talk about what Poole brought to the band, then maybe “Into The Light” and its tender balladry is the point – all of a sudden they became adept enough to do this stuff. That they switch, almost seamlessly to the good time rock’n’roll of “Bring It On Home” doesn’t go unnoticed.
I guess by nature, you are biased to a band that you are a genuine fan of, but I can’t listen to “Days I Saw The Sun” and the likes and not wonder why this band isn’t huge, and “Will You Wait” is surely made to be a tear-jerker to anyone who has any romance in their soul (which I don’t).
One thing that was definitely present here for the first time, which maybe wasn’t on the very early stuff, was a greater soul. “Break You” signposts that neatly, and “Come My Way” soars in a way that only the best can. Doomsday Outlaw are up there with the best.
There’s a nice line in epics before the end, and “Were You Ever Mine” is proof that there’s gems even down in the deep cuts here, and the riffing of Indy (the band’s driving force in many ways) is never better than on “Too Far Left To Fall”.
Indeed, the reason these albums are emerging now is because Indy has the rights to them again, saying he “wanted to make them better than before” and there’s an acoustic version of “Days Since I Saw The Sun” to round this off.
“Hard Times” is sort of forgotten, it’s not been on streaming services for a while and it would be fantastic to think that this reissues programme will help brilliant music get heard again.
Whether you had it, loved it, or have never heard it “Hard Times” is too good to be an undiscovered gem.
Rating 9/10
