Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Deck Janiels
Label: Self-released
Release: 2016
Rating: 4/5
Time flies like crazy. It was 2013 when Deck Janiels’ studio debut »On the Rocks« was born, and already its studio successor »II« is here. The quintet, scattered between Kamnik and Litija and everywhere in between and slowly closing in on its first ten years together, stays loyal with »II.« to the classic engraving, aka the tradition of rock’n’roll, or let’s just say the elementary legacy of hard rock.
The ten new songs are charged with the adrenaline rush of an unbridled stampede, sown by the power of stallions itching to prove themselves! Their main role models are AC/DC. Since there are no real detours from that path on the album, you can look for parallels in, say, Australia’s Rose Tattoo and/or America’s AC/DC »imitators« Rhino Bucket. And I absolutely have to throw in that the tail end of the album is the filthy Psycho Bitch! It’s about a »ravenous« and insatiable girl, hopelessly hooked on high doses of male testosterone in the air, with the immortal spirit of Lemmy Kilmister and his unforgettable Motörhead gang blowing through the arrangement, plus a veil of punk arrogance!
Okay! Even though Deck Janiels aren’t bringing a musical revolution to the scene, they approach creating and performing their original material with passion, heart, serious commitment and defiance. Compared to the debut, »II.« presents a band that’s even more mature, more coherent in its vision and more unified inside. The same goes for the 10 penetrating rock’n’roll crushers, which come across as even more convincing across the arrangements than the otherwise very boldly conceived material on the debut »On the Rocks«. Deck Janiels write simply. They tackle things at the most basic level. Everything is built on a guitar riff, which of course owes Angus Young a good few rounds of beer for the inspiration. In their “revitalism« of the aforementioned giants of the rock craft, Deck Janiels go so far that, looking at their devoted repackaging and recycling of the Angus Young riff tradition, I can write here that Deck Janiels have made the 10 best songs AC/DC never managed to record.
Simple, elementary, with raw, stripped-down rock energy that wins you over on authenticity in an instant. No overcomplicating, no »faffing about,« including »mid-eight« passages. The guitar phrases are tied to Tine’s raspy, high-register vocals, which in style and tone further evoke AC/DC. The singer also has a winning poker hand of aces up his sleeve: he handles the meter really well, laying words into the verses and forging them into a sung melody. Not for a single moment do you get the feeling that Deck Janiels are clumsily fumbling their English. The guys have mastered that with flying colors. And that’s another of the important trumps, creating huge energetic flow and the real rock voltage that the album »II.« spews out from the first minute to the last. The subject matter is clear. Women, debauchery, steel horses! Exactly what a proper rock’n’roll party looks for and demands!
With their new album, Deck Janiels effectively cement their position on the Slovenian music map, and on the Central European one too. The songs on »II.« simply have to be heard live. »II.« proves that the band has reached remarkable coherence and inner creative alignment in the studio. The compositions grab you hard in high-octane burn. An album played with big, hard balls. Heartfelt, mocking, punkish and with a healthy dose of great rock’n’roll tomfoolery.
Line-up
Tine Žnidaršič – vocals
Mitja Groznik – guitar
Gregor Vrtnik – guitar
Matevž Kraševec – bass
Jan Merčon – drums
Production
Deck Janiels & Gilian Adam
Track list
Side I.:
1. Mr. H
2. Uncle Charlie
3. Rats
4. Open Highway
5. Voodoo Queen
Side II.:
1. Has-Been
2. Down to Hell
3. Wild Night
4. Fuck ‘Em All
5. Psycho Bitch
