Showing posts with label Phil Balles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Balles. Show all posts

Friday, 13 July 2018

Hardball - Dirty EP (2018)

Genre - Hard Rock / Garage Rock
Label - Self Released

Track listing:
01 - Dirty
02 - Ballad Of John Fox
03 - Closed For Inventory

Earlier this month I was given the opportunity to take a sneaky listen of the then unmixed debut single, 'Dirty', from new UK rockers Hardball, and was suitably impressed with what I heard. Now hot on the tails the band deliver the mixed debut EP, and what an interesting little beauty it is too!
This debut EP delivers three totally different tracks, 'Dirty' the solid hard rocker of a track that is very much in the vein of Wolfsbane and The Almighty. The next track, 'Ballad Of John Fox', is a completely different monster. A slower dare I say trippyer type of track with a more Indy rock feel, Ala REM or some of the The Wildhearts more trippy moments such as Dreaming In A. 'Ballad Of John Fox is a real gem of a song that truly showcases this new bands versatility as song writers and musicians. Excellent. 
The third and final song is 'Closed For Inventory', a real groover of a track, again showcasing another side to the bands song writing talents.
Considering the fact that the guys that the guys had the courage to record the song live in White Wolf Recording Studios under the guidance of Ian Thompson, this debut EP shows a great deal of promise, and will serve the band well as a sort of demo / taster. Personally I cant wait for the full length album!

Rating: 9/10

Check the guys out for yourself here on the bands Soundcloud page.

Sunday, 1 July 2018

Hardball - Dirty (2018) (Single)

Genre - Hard Rock / Garage Rock 
Label - Self Released

Track listing:
01 - Dirty

So I have recently been given the opportunity to hear the debut unmixed single from a new project called Hardball featuring the talents of Hung Like Jack drummer Denz 'Gareth' Westgarth with Tim Smith, guitar and vocals, Phil Balles, guitar and bassist Neil MacGillvray. Now to be fair I have to admit to not knowing a great deal about the new project, but I figured that if it featured Denz within its line up is was bound to be a rockin' band, and upon listening to the unmixed single, 'Dirty', my guess was happily reaffirmed.

The song opens with single guitar riff before bursting into life as a full blown rocker. The song seems to show case a more hard rock / garage rock sound than Denz's previous outfit, Hung Like Jack, whom seemed to incorporate a more punk rock edge to their music. To be fair I love 'Dirty', and can't wait to hear a fully mastered EP or album from the guys, as this track shows so much promise. Imagine a tighter, more polished version of Wolfsbane if you will. I bloody love it, especially upon finding out that the guys had the courage to record the song live in White Wolf Recording Studios under the guidance of Ian Thompson.

A great song that shows a great deal of promise from a brand new outfit!

Rating: 9/10

Check these guys out!!!!!