Skarlett Riot – Tear Me Down
9/10
We have featured rising British rockers Skarlett Riot a few times on the site and I, for one, have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this, the bands debut album.
The album kicks off in style with ‘Faded Memory’, the first single, which has been getting national radio play, and it’s easy to see why, it’s a catchy yet powerful rocker containing some great riffs and Skarlett’s outstanding vocals.
This album definitely doesn’t pull any punches, second and third tracks ‘What We’ve Become’ and the aptly named ‘Adrenaline’ are fast paced and banging rockers with memorable choruses and heavy breakdowns.
One of the most noticeable things about the album is just how good it sounds, producer Matt Ellis has done a cracking job of bringing out the best in the band, with top performances all round, especially from singer Skarlett, who sounds amazing on album title track ‘Tear Me Down’, a huge, melodic rocker that just has to be a single.
2 tracks on the album will be familiar to fans of the band, ‘Villain’ and ‘Party Hard’, as both are on the ‘Villain’ EP the band put out last year, both songs are re-recorded, with ‘Villain’ sounded more menacing than the original.
‘Broken Wings’ is a slower number but loses none of the power of the rest of the album and has a massive chorus.
The album ends with ‘Riot’ and I challenge you to listen to it without bobbing your head in time to it! It’s another huge sounding song, with some excellent gang style vocals and is a fitting end to the record.
This really is an impressive debut from a band that, all things being equal, should become huge this year.
