A New Supergroup Is Here: Black Star Riders
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 12:01AM If you dig Thin Lizzy, then you're going to love Black Star Riders. The new supergroup, featuring Thin Lizzy alumni, will release a debut album on May 28. Here's some information about the new band. The song below is very promising.
BLACK STAR RIDERS - the new band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (vocals), Scott Gorham (guitar), Damon Johnson (guitar) and Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso on drums - will release its debut album, All Hell Breaks Loose on May 28 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. While THIN LIZZY will continue on an occasional basis, BLACK STAR RIDERS is a full-time band described as "the next step in the evolution of the Thin Lizzy story". All Hell Breaks Loose was recorded and mixed by producer Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH) at The Cave studios in Malibu, California. Mastering duties were handled by Bob Ludwig (JIMI HENDRIX, RUSH, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN) at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.
Reader Comments (10)
One final thought, although Ricky Warwick has a decent voice, I don't understand what he is trying to prove by doing a Phil Lynott impression. It's like he's going out of his way to pronounce every single word the way that Lynott would have pronounced it, and it just bugs me. I am sure I will calm down about this as time goes on, but this is the way I feel right now.
Black Star Riders is indeed a super group of very talented musicians, who are trying way too hard to sound like Thin Lizzy when only one member of this band was a real member of that band.
They just needed to change their sound to go with it.
How many bands have we pleaded with to do so when they take it one step beyond scab level, especially when they lose their singer.
Not only should the lead singer walk away from the ghost of Phil Lynott (His impression is almost cartoonish), the band as a whole should leave the production team behind as well. The guitars particularly possess too much of that 70's "Recorded in a Tin Can" sound.
And Bri, I half disagree with you. Remember the guitars behind the choruses of "The Boys Are Back In Town" had a much deeper dual "E-Chord" quality than anything on this song, which is what it lacks.
As legendary as the producer and mixer are, BSR should have gone for Tom Werman (Of Crüe and Cheap Trick fame, among countless others), if he's alive. He would have given 'em more b*lls AND still retained that 70's sound. And judging from some of the comments Werman has made in the past, he would have also had the b*lls to tell the singer to cut the Lynott parody.
Still, for some baffling reason, BSR were going for that Thin Lizzy sound and that is what they got. And so did we, unfortunately. I give it a 5.
They are still playing off of the Thin Lizzy sound obviously.
The singer use to be in Brother Cane so I dont why he doesnt try singing in hi own voice and style.
this song FAILS!
I think this band is trying to capture the Thin Lizzy fan base out of the US so they dont get stuck playing so many crappy clubs. Maybe they can be a support act. 'Borrowing' the Lizzy sound in the European Market pushes them more to the mainstream. Playing the bigger festivals and crowds.
Sleaze Rocker - Damon Johnson from Brother Cane is on guitar, vocals are by Ricky Warwick formerly in the Almighty.
Warwick has a cool voice, too bad about the Phil impression.
Sleaze Rocker and Tony! What you say makes absolutely total sense. They changed their name simply because they don't want to have to pay Lynott's Estate.
That explains the name change and the lack of change to the music.
But how sad it is these guys aren't willing to change their sound to something a little more "original" given their pedigrees. Hey, I guess ya gotta make a buck somehow.