Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: House Of Lords
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2015
Duration: 49:45
Rating: 4/5
So here we are: the 10th studio album from American melodic rock champions House Of Lords, who are still steadfastly led, year after year, by singer, main songwriter and producer James Christian. »Indestructible« doesn’t bring anything you haven’t already heard, but Christian says he gave it that title because he never imagined he’d still be on the music scene with his band after so many years!
»Indestructible« brings no stylistic departure from its predecessor »Precious Metal« (2014). Barely a year passed between the two albums. It once again sounds ultra-melodic and catchy while also being hugely pompous, with punchy guitar phrases and another outstanding guitar performance from the one and only Jimi Bell, who never stops impressing. Jimi is basically James Christian’s main pillar of support, and it’s worth pointing out that House of Lords have kept the lineup that recorded »Indestructible« since the release of »World Upside Down« (2006). So the band’s vision remains unified, and so does the chemistry between its members.
Christian, of course, is the one calling the shots, once again supplying all the arrangement and songwriting ideas. He’s masterfully packed it all into a production of mighty bombast and pomp, where the guitar phrase out front is expertly wrapped in keyboards and Christian’s lead vocal is surrounded by a whole host of vocal multi-harmonies. The album opens with a bang, with two of the album’s hardest-hitting tracks: the first single Go to Hell and, right after it, the title track. The third track, Pillar of Salt, brings a welcome detour toward ballad territory and is one of the album’s strongest compositions, but soon the band is racing into a hard rock burner called 100MPH, where the adrenaline rush kicks in again. Even with his limited stock of melodic phrases, Christian still knows how to cleverly repackage an already-used phrase so that it grabs you and works every single time. At this he’s almost without equal. He’s a damn seasoned studio fox with incredible mileage.
From there the album calms down a bit, which doesn’t mean the songs lose their energetic, expressive charge. It’s precisely in the mid-tempo tracks like Call My Bluff and especially We Will Always As One that the band builds a special atmospheric suspension, the kind that gives you goosebumps on the very first listen. The first half of the album has more of a wound-up feel, while the second half is dominated by mid-tempo songs, but the bombastic mood, which House of Lords sustain mainly through sharply defined, ultra-melodic, hooky choruses, guarantees the new release stays appealing throughout. In terms of development, the new album brings absolutely nothing new for the band. Fans will once again be thrilled with »Indestructible«, and House of Lords remain a proven constant of quality and style that doesn’t know how to disappoint.
Lineup
James Christian – vocals
Jimi Bell – guitar
Chris McCarvill – bass
BJ Zampa – drums
Production
James Christian
Tracklist
1. Go To Hell
2. Indestructible
3. Pillar Of Salt
4. 100 Mph
5. Call My Bluff
6. We Will Always Be One
7. Die To Tell
8. Another Dawn
9. Eye Of The Storm
10. Ain’t Suicidal
11. Stand And Deliver
