The Wild!: ‘Wild At Heart’
THE WILD!
WILD AT HEART
Released on February 17, 2017 (eOne)
Review:
Two for two. The Wild! have done it again. They are making it look easy but they have come up with another amazing album after their debut EP GxDxWxB received rave review after another, including from Sleaze Roxx, and finished at #2 on Sleaze Roxx’s Top Ten Albums of 2015. The reality is that it’s actually very difficult for bands to be able to follow up a great album with another but The Wild! make it look so easy!
The fear is always that bands will start to polish up their sound when it comes to following up their gritty and raw debut album. Fear not with The Wild! because the boys pick up where they left off. Sure, the hillbilly fury that was often prevalent on GxDxWxB has been turned down a notch or two but the bluesy overtones, great guitar riffs and surprisingly really good melodies are all there once again.
“Ready To Roll” kicks things off in fine fashion with a simple yet effective guitar riff that has some swagger to it and is the perfect precursor for what the listener is in store for — kick ass guitar riffs, Dylan Villain‘s Bon Scott like singing at times, some solid changes of pace throughout and great background vocals that will have you singing along in no time. And you gotta check out the crazy ass video that The Wild! came up with for the song! Clearly, caution was thrown to the wind on that one. “Livin’ Free” will have you singing along “Gotta love it. Livin’ how you want it” while presumably bassist Boozus handles the chorus portion. It’s definitely a catchy song that is sure to be a staple in The Wild!‘s live set for many years to come. “White Devil” starts off in pure vintage and old school AC/DC bluesy fashion. Clearly, The Wild! are the ones that can carry the torch when it comes to playing those mid-tempo bluesy rockers that AC/DC are known for. “Another Bottle” showcases Villain‘s singing during the verses although I am not that crazy about the chorus portion of it. “Best In The West” is a straight ahead rocker. Nothing that special on that one.
One gem on Wild At Heart is “Six Hundred Sixty Six” which has lots of great tempos and feels at one point like a real jam type of song. “Rattlesnake Shake” is built on a singular guitar riff that the band rides pretty much all the way through. “Run Home” sees The Wild! slow things down and might even pass as a bluesy ballad. Hell, I’ll take that over a cheesy ballad any day. Towards the end of the album is one of the best tracks — “Down At The Bottom” — which seems full of piss and vinegar, and provides some great head banging opportunities. Wild At Heart closes off with the aptly named “Kansas City Shuffle” which is built on a guitar riff with a real groove to it.
There are a lot of potentially great upcoming album releases coming up this year but I think that it’s safe to say that The Wild!‘s Wild At Heart will be in the Sleaze Roxx’s Top Ten Albums of 2017 at the end of the year. It’s really just a question of where The Wild!‘s latest offering will end up. Yes, it’s that good of an album.
Track List:
01. Ready To Roll
02. Livin’ Free
03. White Devil
04. Another Bottle
05. Best In The West
06. Six Hundred Sixty Six
07. Rattlesnake Shake
08. Run Home
09. Down At The Bottom
10. Kansas City Shuffle
Band Members:
Dylan Villain – vocals, guitar
Boozus – bass, vocals
The Kid – guitar, vocals
Reese Lightning – drums
Production:
Produced, recorded and mixed by Mike Fraser
Co-produced by Dylan Villain
Mastered by Adam Ayan
Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, March 2017
The Wild!‘s “Ready To Roll” video:
The Wild! – Ready To Roll
“Ready To Roll” single streaming now on Spotify and Google Play – http://flyt.it/ReadyToRollStreamingPre-order Wild At Heart album now at:iTunes: http://flyt…
The Wild!‘s “Livin’ Free” song:
The Wild! – Livin’ Free | ‘Wild At Heart’ In Stores 2.17.17
‘Livin’ Free’ is streaming now on Spotify on Google Play – http://flyt.it/LivinFreeStreaming Pre-order Wild At Heart album now at:iTunes: http://flyt.it/Wild…