REVIEW: RED REIGN – CHAINS EP (2016)

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Hard rock the way it used to be

With Richie Sambora touring the UK recently, and his former band releasing an album, MV found itself revisiting the Bon Jovi catalogue.

They were one of the first bands to utilise the longform video format, and on that superb tour documentary from the late 1980s “Access All Areas” JBJ is asked whether the band is in fashion or not.

His reply is probably flippant bullshit given that he likely had scriptwriters to help him with those remarks that seemed so off the cuff and a team of stylists to help him look the way he did, but nonetheless he said: “I’m so out of fashion, I will be back in fashion.”

That line was never far from the thoughts when listening to this four tracker from Red Reign. The follow up their debut full length is four superb songs that both proudly and resolutely belong in the last century.

A classy little effort it is too. One produced by David Ivory (who has worked with Halestorm as well as the great lost US rock band – the should have been huge Silvertide) and it has the same arena hogging intentions as those two.

“Chains” itself kicks off, with a kind of mix of Motley’s “Looks That Kill” and “Slippery” era Jovi, you get the feeling it would love to really kick on but instead broods, just waiting for the opportunity to strike.

“Not That Way” is better still, a wonderful slice of melodic rock, with a guitar solo to start, played by the brilliantly named Stevie Shred, bringing to mind Brit AOR heroes FM, and things go up yet another gear with the thumping “Red Reign”.

A stone cold, almost perfect slice of that classic US arena rock sound that MV grew up adoring, it shows the likes of Shinedown the way it should go down, while nothing like this would be complete with a big old power ballad, would it? It gets one in the shape of “What Is Love For?”

Red Reign was formed when two of its members left a covers band to play their own stuff. You’ll be glad they did. If this heralds the start of something special then don’t be surprised.

Rating 8/10

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