Who better to release an incredible heavy rocking album during the Winter Olympics, than Sydney based Australian rockers Avalanche, who formed in a Steel Factory and are Veronica & Steven Campbell, Blake Poulton and Bon Lowe, The album was produced by Steve James.
Avalanche were winners of Passport To Airlie which is an Auzzie competition for original bands, not some reverse £10 pom scheme to move them to Scotland. In fact they remind me most of one of the very first bands to ask me to review their debut single on Myspace back in the day, a young Auzzie band Airbourne, who went on to steal band of the festival for me at Sonisphere in 2011. Avalanche will be touring Europe from tomorrow opening for Airborne a marriage made in Auzzie Rawk heaven.
The album opens with Veronica's speedy guitar solo intro to the title song Armed To The Teeth a classic AC/DC style hard and heavy riff monster of a tune, screamed vocals warning against the people who are Armed To The Teeth with the title ending up sounding like a fist punching, chant along chorus about two thirds of the way down the Highway to Hell.
Blondie is a deep heavy riffing rock anthem claiming that Blondie is crazy, yeah she must be throwing windmills with her hair, headbanging along to this, just pausing long enough to catch her breath during the very short break down and then mayhem ensues once more.
Bottle Of Sin is a drinking song that will rival Airbournes Back On The Bottle when they tour together, this lot know that all the sinning begins when you fall head first into that bottle, your defences come down.
Dad, I Joined a Rock & Roll Band and that's all I need, I'll be fine and we can rock all day and all night long, hard as anyone can, riffs of granite, chugging beers wall of bass, a drummer who sounds like he wants to destroy his kit on every song, Veronica's solo really gets its speed skates on.
Current single Down For The Count can be applied to skiers and snowboarders losing control, or to the boxers they are singing about, whatever you do dust yourself off and get back in the fight, don't pause for a moment, that humungous riff will overwhelm you, this is full on head down no nonsense boogie rawk.
Going For Broke getting as many notes played as possible in 2 minutes, speedy throaty and just going at warp speed, like they are ready to take on the biggest ski jumps ever, while distilling a dozen AC/DC classic rock riffs into one huge dirty great monster riff.
The Hand That Feeds speeds up a classic Punk hit singles riff, till you don't have time for a pint let alone two of VB, while they claim they are grooving, it's hard to deny them the love and rock they crave, guitars go off again, while not biting that hand.
Hell's Getting Hotter With You while they stoke the fires, with Steven's first clear bass solo, they dial back the guitars just a touch, before they crash back in, backing vocal chants of you have a football crowd chant feel, while this relationship goes to hell on a dirty bone.
Kick Your Heels Back slows things down, to more of a Peer Gunt pace, so that they can really kick it, with even more in your face squalling guitars rampaging all over the place.
On The Bags Again is from the sound of it about sparring fighting over whose turn it is to go scoring bags of weed or ice, they are taut, in perfect shape and ready to get in the ring, for 15 rounds without losing intensity, ready to give Rocky a run for his money.
Open To Retaliation they are ready for the onslaught you threaten them with, they will scream and wail on you when you arrive, crushing you under the might of those huge ballsy riffs.
The album closes with the biker rock anthem Ride Or Die perfect to scream down that highway deep into the outback at 120 mph, like all that matters is covering tarmac, getting to the pub at the end of that road, where they can get together with Orange Goblin and Steppenwolf and just wail, while praising the hogs they rode in on. If you can keep your head still while listening to this album you really don't rock at all, this is an incendiary listen.
Find out more at https://ffm.to/armedtotheteeth https://avalanche.mywaterfrontstore.com/ https://www.facebook.com/avalanchebandrock https://www.avalanchebandrock.com/
