Dearly Beloved have been flying the flag for up and coming hard rock bands in Canada since 2006, and their new album Admission shows us why.

Listening to this album is a bit like going in a time machine; on opening track ‘R.I.P’, we hear sludgy guitar riffs with a load of distortion, bringing it back to the sounds of Sabbath. Next, we hear the shrill but melodic vocals of early Queens Of The Stone age tracks, proving that these guys really know how to hone in their influences to enhance their own, distinctive sound. 

This album has a very organic feel to it. On tracks such as the racing ‘I Tried To Leave’ and the grunge-infused ‘When You Had The Choice’, all the different instruments blend together, sonically, structurally and harmonically. The drums set the tone for the album, giving us heavy half time grooves to bang our heads to and a hell of a lot of cymbals – unlocking a live sound to the record, indicating the carnage and noise they can create at their live shows.

I love the fact that there are two lead vocals in this band – one male and one female. Usually if hard rock bands have two vocalists it can take the edge off from the integrity of the music, as there’s a lot more intricate things to listen to. But the melodies of Rob Higgins and Niva Chow complement each other perfectly, giving us a sort of tennis table atmosphere within the madness of the instruments, as all the sounds weave together creating something quite spectacular. 

Why these guys aren’t bigger I don’t know, but they really have a fantastically fresh take on hard rock music and I’ve no doubt that their time will come.

 

Produced by Daniel Ray (The Ramones, Misfits), Admission is out on 27 January 2017 on Aporia Records.

 

Jimmy Ingham