Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Rhino Bucket
Label: Acetate Records
Release: 2017
Length: 39:35
Rating: 3.5/5
After six years, the new studio album from yet another bunch of shipwrecks has »quietly« come out. They sprang up during the “Sun Strip boom” in Los Angeles but never really belonged to that scene. We’re talking about Rhino Bucket, a sort of American answer to AC/DC. The band is back with a boldly titled new album, “The Last Real Rock ‘N’ Roll”. And it’s true, real rock’n’roll albums are getting rarer, especially since the generation that created it is slowly but surely retiring, and the next one, which took it over from the first generation’s hands very well, and which Rhino Bucket can be counted among, is the other half of the equation.
Rhino Bucket don’t stray from the plan. They stay inside the tried-and-tested musical recipe they know better than anyone. Why would they try anything else? No need. A scratchy, torn-up, dirty, simple but piercing, crushing rock’n’roll riff that sounds greasy, the way only the honest character of a Les Paul guitar can produce, then flirty rhythms and a biting, slightly nasal, hooligan vocal personality! That’s enough.
The band hasn’t been through many changes in the last six years. Dave Ducey is the new man behind the drums, the excellent Kix guitarist Brian Forsythe is still on guitar, and the lineup is rounded out by two original members: the leader, guitarist and vocalist Georg Dolivo and bassist Reeve Downes.
On “The Last Real Rock’N’ Roll” too, Rhino Bucket remind you of AC/DC at every turn. They lean on them shamelessly from the first second of the new album to the last. That’s why the new album holds on to the hard-earned reputation of the band’s past work. Rhino Buicket ride on. Firmly in the saddle, they come across as an unbreakable band, even as the years tick quietly by. All the songs were written by Georg Dolivo together with the band’s original guitarist, a former member, Greg Fields.
Despite the band’s long track record, “The Last Real Rock ‘N’ Roll” sounds unbending and untamed, hitting you straight in the teeth and forehead. It delivers a live-sounding production, with a stripped-bare, raw sound. No special embellishments and no after-the-fact studio cosmetics. Dolivo keeps his vocal delivery powerful, with a charisma that pulls the listener in. He steers clear of screaming and stays mostly in a mid-range register, developing a nasal, manly vocal character. Still, his vocals are definitely average, since he often slips out of the ideal range, so on this album you won’t escape the energy of punk rock charm either, because the album ignites, boldly and cheekily, mostly thanks to Georg’s hooligan vocals. Along with the banal poetry, of course.
The album is best listened to in one go. From the first track to the last. It doesn’t deliver any special surprises, just a damn good retro sound product from full-blooded rock’n’roll firestarters. It’ll be a welcome compress on the wounds of everyone who knows they’ll never get another new AC/DC album in their lifetime. Let’s hope this new album brings Rhino Bucket back to Europe, like in 2011 and 2012, when we were damn lucky to catch them on the stage of the Bluesiana Rock Cafe in Velden, in Carinthia, Austria. Long live rock’n’roll.
Rhino Bucket – Hello Citizens (official audio):
Lineup
Georg Dolivo – vocals, rhythm guitar
Brian “Damage” Forsythe – guitar, backing vocals
Reeve Downes – bass guitar, backing vocals
Dave DuCey – drums
Production
Eddie Spaghetti
Track list
01. Hello Citizens
02. Everything You Do
03. Last Call
04. I’m Your Doctor
05. So Long
06. It’s A Sin
07. Forgiveness
08. Bang My Drum
09. Swing And A Miss
10. Falling Down The Stairs
11. Misery
12. The Devil You Know
