Thirteen is an unlucky number for some, but apparently not for Blackbox13 and their mini-album Army Of None. When listening to it you have to consider that this four piece band isn’t out to re-invent the wheel; it’s just plain hard rock – pretty damn fine hard rock.
The self-titled track Army of None opens things up with a Black Stone Cherry vibe with an added groove of Todd Turgeon’s crushing drum patterns and Joe Weihl’s simplistic yet hard hitting guitar riffs, all mixed together with the anthemic lyrics of Joshua Scott. The first song sets the tone which continues throughout the whole mini-album.
From the crushing riffs of “Senseless” to the bluesy atmosphere of “We the People,” the band attempts to add more variety, but with only six songs, it is a bit too short to make the point. The band stays with the formula of creating a sound that is the equivalent of receiving a sledgehammer to the face (like the last two tracks), but in a GOOD way. “Self-Inflicted” picks up on that idea with Cory Kay’s bass sound eventually coming through, before the sledgehammer plan is dropped for “Choke” and picked up once again for the rather aptly titled “Thank You.”
Long story short, Blackbox13 haven’t changed anything up much with Army Of None, but why mess with good, solid rock music? It’s brutal enough to make you want to head bang, mosh like an enraged gorilla, and be filled with lyrics that are suited to be yelled in arenas. So make sure to crank your speakers up to volume 11 and have a good time listening to it, because we certainly did!
~Connor Williams, Journalist with RockRevolt™ Magazine
Photo Credit: Karen Mandall Music Photography
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSihjnhvpCc]
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