We Will Ride

"A new line-up for Inglorious, a band that has seen a few personnel changes in the years since I was at one of their early major gigs in Birmingham almost exactly 5 years ago – with the constants of Nathan James up front on the voice, and Phil Beaver at the back behind the kit both still in place.

The sound on this fourth album remains very much as it was from the start, a fresh modern take on those classic British rock bands – Deep Purple, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin and others, with Nathan James being heavily influenced by David Coverdale, with that raw bluesy edge to the enormous vocal power he brings.

We Will Ride has been written and recorded through the COVID-19 lockdown in Wales, with producer Romesh Gogandoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, Motörhead) at the helm, and saw the band take a more relaxed and fun approach to the writing process, despite the delays caused by the pandemic, and they reckon this has been a real rejuvenation of the Inglorious phenomenon.    

The upbeat riff-heavy She Won’t Let You Go opens up with a familiar touch of the solo guitar providing the intro, before the band powers in behind the guitar and we are off – a straight-forward no-nonsense verse that leads into a powerful pre-chorus and an absolute monster of a chorus – and features the first of many ripping solos (not sure which guitarist contributes which).  The two newer band members Danny Dela Cruz and Dan Stevens are clearly working in perfect harmony on the guitars, and this forms a key part of the Inglorious sound – topped off by the power and passion of Nathan James on the voice.

Messiah has a slightly ‘eastern’ tinge to the melodies, and some atmospheric vocals, but is another example of the huge sound, and the great production values here.  There is lots of light and shade here with a real contrast between verse and chorus.  The newest single release is Medusa, which kicks off with a brutal slide guitar intro, and a vocal delivery that is as big as anything David Coverdale delivered in his prime – again a slightly ‘eastern’ vibe in some of the guitars, in the same vein as fellow Brit-rockers Ten have delivered.  There is some sensational drumming in the track as Phil Beaver confirms what a solid performer he is behind the drums, with some excellent touches throughout.

There is a more stripped-back opening to Eye Of The Storm which suggests a power-ballad, with lots of effects and echoes on the spacey guitars, and a softer lead vocal line which lasts until the massive build-up into the super-catchy chorus which powers along at double-time.  The dynamic changes continue between the verse and chorus, and there is a brief interlude that sees Nathan’s voice at full force, before the huge guitars power back in and we get the closing chorus in all its glory.

A similar approach is suggested by the very sparse guitar intro to Cruel Intentions, which is soon overtaken by the upbeat rocking guitars and immense AOR backing vocals – this is just classic power melodic rock of the highest quality.  James’ vocals show off his huge range and power, and the guitars are off the scale.  There is a change of feel with the piano intro (from Rob Lindop) and the guitar tone to the epic My Misery, and Nathan delivers a sensitive feel to the vocals in the verses, and then the goosebumps appear with the opening lines of the chorus, which rises to soaring heights, and they don’t go away! The pumping guitar-fuelled middle-eight is glorious, and then we get another chorus and a powerful outro to close!

Do You Like It is an Inglorious classic full of all the trademarks of the band – a crushing riff, a huge lead vocal line, a chorus full of hooks and backing harmonies and a searing solo that explodes out of the chorus!  The rhythm section of Beaver and bassist Vinnie Colla absolutely lock down the beat and perfectly support the outrageous harmonies going on above! 

There is only one track that gets over the 5 minute mark which might be a surprise, and He Will Provide gives us a moody riff and a slightly menacing lead vocal (think Ozzy in classic Blizzard of Ozz days), and also features an atmospheric mid-section that leads into another ripper of a solo over that grungy riff – the solo may be a combination of both Danny and Dan doing their thing.  We Will Meet Again delivers another powerhouse melodic rock beast, with a really contemporary feel to the riff and melody, and some strong backing vocals to add depth to the delivery which is restrained without losing the power.  

The last two tracks continue to deliver the power and passion of the rest of the album, with God Of War really letting the two guitarists excel as they trade-off delicate fretwork in the verses, brutal powerchords in the chorus and frenetic harmony licks in between.  The band picks up the pace in the outro, with a double-time beat and more guitar soloing to the last chord.  

We Will Ride is the perfect title track and album-closer – a dark and moody verse, and another soaring chorus full of layers, while the guitars weave their magic underneath it all. 

The twin guitars certainly add a dimension to the band that perhaps has not been quite so apparent in the last album or two – Danny and Dan appear to have quickly developed a level of rapport and interaction that finds them intuitively working around each other in the riffs and melodies, and then through the interplay in the lead breaks and solos!

I really hope this one pushes all the right buttons around the place, because a band that has worked as long and hard as this one to find the right formula really deserves it!" - Life Music Media