DANKO JONES
Fire Music
New Damage/Cooking Vinyl
Over six studio albums Danko Jones have bullishly created an instantly recognisable sound of their own, combining the best of AC/DC-Thin Lizzy-style hard rock, old school metal and acerbic punk.
Opener, Wild Woman, is relentless, detailing a lady who is beyond Danko’s control, and the band capture every ounce of their irrepressible live energy onto tape, complete with a large dose of punkish aggression.
New drummer, Rich Knox, proves a powerhouse on his kit, pounding out metal rhythms, and he vamps up a storm on the cowbell-funk groove of Do You Wanna Rock. Jones plays the motormouth frontman to the hilt here, giving the album a little midway light relief, as does the follow-on Getting Into Drugs, a very tongue-in-cheek observation of the druggy culture of rock’n’roll.
The Motorhead-like Watch You Slide, Piranha and She Ain’t Coming Home bring us full circle back to the break-up theme. If based on real events, it’s primal scream therapy for the singer/guitarist.
Danko Jones has never been backwards in coming forwards, and their full-force-in-yer-face approach on Fire Music might make this the album that propels them into the wider public awareness.
SHANE PINNEGAR
