BAND – REVENANT EP – BLACK DOGS AND SAD MEN

REVIEWER – GRAEME WRIGHT

This is actually the first time I’ve crossed paths with Revenant. After living with this EP for the last few days I can assure you it won’t be the last. Revenant play Heavy Blues Rock music and are all clearly top quality musicians, but the big plus for me here is the sheer quality of the songwriting. Their music is immediate and compelling and with no exception these songs draw you in from the very first listen. With more than a touch of Southern guitar and vocals around this record, I’m already on board and will now be picking up their back catalogue post haste.

‘Lie You’re Living’ starts off like gang busters before it settles down and builds to a huge chorus. This strikes me as a perfect song to open a live show and is a great start to the proceedings. ‘Black Dogs And Sad Men’ has a touch of early bluesy Led Zeppelin about it and is as heartfelt as it is entertaining with some monstrous drum work in the middle which segues with a great vocal and some killer guitar work.

‘I’ll Be There’ is the biggest song on the album and I can’t stop listening to it. Proper heavy Blues with some killer guitar solo work that wouldn’t be out of place on a Lynyrd Skynyrd album, this is a perfect song that given the right airplay should really get some attention if people get to hear it. This song is worth the admission fee by itself, but as the crowning achievement in an already great record it’s absolutely the icing on an already very sweet cake.

‘Sex Without Substance’ has a big fat bayou sound and a big chant along chorus to go with it, it’s a real throwback to the seventies Rock/Blues era and is none the worse for that. The final track is ‘All We Need’ which opens with a beautiful acoustic combined with a sweet vocal where the singer goes through his entire range. It’s a high quality change of pace and finishes off this EP in fine style.

Revenant-where have you been all my life? I can guarantee we will meet again because I loved your record to bits.

BAND

Sam Lay – Vocals, Guitar

Matt Hudson – Guitar

Robin Nutley – Bass

Carl Donoghue – Drums

ALBUM TRACK LIST

1. Lie You’re Living
2. Black Dogs And Sad Men
3. I’ll Be There
4. Sex With No Substance
5. All We Need