OneMetal.com REVIEW:
Black River – Black ‘N’ Roll

With what seems to be the norm as of late, mainland Europe bands are trying to prove to the rest of the continent and the world that they mean business. Polish rockers Black River are no exception, fusing elements of Down, King Diamond and Eden’s Curse. With their unique blend of modern metal and old school rock, Black River are lifting the sword for Polish rock and marching onward.

Opener Barf Bag (a nice happy song title) comes crashing in with an authentic anthemic rock sound, fully equipped with distortion, high pitched singing and a fiddly solo. However it’s not the best opening song, compared to the rest of the album this track fails to deliver.

The next track entitled Isabel is much more what Black River are about in terms of sound and songwriting. Fast, catchy, metal and overall gets your head nodding. They have a knack for writing a catchy chorus, usually jam-packed with references to the song title no matter how cliché it may be. The title track Black ‘N’ Roll is two minutes of much punkier music, in terms of the vocals and the music to match. Guaranteed to go down well in live shows, it’s one of the faster-paced yet less heavy tracks on the album.

Some of the songs on the Black ‘N’ Roll aren’t instantly etched in your mind, as some plainly aren’t that interesting or particularly good. Conversely there are a number of tracks which warrant a lot of attention due to their structure, their lyrics and overall quality.

Breaking The Wall is a prime example of how Black River can write a slower rock song and have you nodding along within the first minute and a half – singing along by the end. There’s nothing overtly complicated about it, it’s just a simple rock song but performed so well that it’s hard not to be impressed. Similarly Too Far Away is possibly the best song on the album with its simple structure but fantastic delivery. The powerful vocals (which do take time to grow on you) plough the song forward and again you find yourself singing along by the end.

Sadly toward the end of the album it does seem to fizzle out. The last three tracks aren’t worth noting other than the fact that they’re still in the same vein as the previous songs, only slower and less interesting. Unfortunate as the bulk of the album is worth a listen, but the ending just doesn’t match the quality of the middle.

Black ‘N’ Roll is a fantastic album if you’re looking for a new rock/metal band who will provide you with catchy lyrics and well constructed music. Admittedly there are some flaws, not all the songs provide the same feeling but overall it’s worth listening to. Hopefully there’s more to come from the continent as the year rolls on.

Bottom Line

A great album from mainland Europe, it's just a shame about the few duds. Definitely worth checking out though.