The Rods are an old-school American Metal band who raged hard and heavy in the early ’80s, disbanded in 1986, but then reformed in 2008, and started releasing new material from 2011. And they have not been sitting still, either. Wild Dogs Unchained is their eleventh studio album. It stands right in the middle of mainstream Heavy Metal, but you would expect nothing less, and quite frankly, you would want nothing less. I have been lucky enough to review this new release. Here is what’s happening from this trio of Metal veterans.
The Rods – Wild Dogs Unchained
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Mark Rotherham
The album kicks things off very nicely with Eyes Of A Dreamer. It has a slow, chugging riff backed up with a solid drum beat. David Feinstein’s vocals are totally on point with this song, and it is an absolute nod of affection to Feinstein’s past association with a certain vocalist from Elf.
For rockers of a certain age, and yes, that includes me, this opening track will be red meat to satisfy your most diabolical appetites.
The pace then picks up with Rock And Roll Fever. Like the whole album, it is well produced, fast, and sticks to a formula that has not really changed for years. But that’s okay, because if that is the headspace you are in, that is just what you will like.
This song has got more Metal clichés than both Spinal Tap films put together, but it’s heavy, it’s catchy, and oh yes, it’s good. David Feinstein’s vocals are deep, gritty, and absolutely where they need to be. Ominous riffs punctuate this entire track, and whether you are five or eighty-five, you will not be able to stop yourself from tapping your feet to this one.
Mirror Mirror starts with a haunting bass line that is soon mirrored (no pun intended) by the guitar riff. Distortion overlaid with high-neck shredding heralds the vocal attack. You can just imagine how this song would play out in an ’80s-style music video, Dave looking at the camera as he voices the lyrics, mixed in with footage of wolves running wild and posing guitarists.
Throughout this album, David Feinstein does a peerless job at handling both guitar and vocals, which in many ways is reminiscent of John Sykes’ Blue Murder.
You would absolutely be forgiven for thinking that Tears For The Innocent might be an ’80s obligatory ballad, what with the title and slow, very slow start. And is that a keyboard I hear, mixed in with dream-like vocals?
But then, just when you think it’s a lament for the downtrodden, at ninety seconds, the Metal assault really kicks in. No longer lost without hope, the band now champion the underdog, much like a deeper-voiced Judas Priest song. This song is an old-school epic, with keyboards and guitars vying for the glory spot in the solo, all carried along perfectly by cantering, unhurried but invincible riffs.
What can be more Heavy Metal than an album, and a song called Wild Dogs Unchained? The answer is simple, none more Metal, really. This song opens up with a super-fast drumming intro, soon followed by equally supersonic riffing.
But this is not a complicated song. It is about the rebel in all of us being released from whatever it is that is holding us back, holding us down. You can just see the band playing this live, chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” fists raised high and the audience doing the exact same thing. It is a theme and a defiance that will reach the heart of pretty much every Metal fan out there.
And if your need for overused but still comforting Metal terminology persists, then you are ready for Time To Rock. It has an upbeat start that just does not quit, and with a title like this, you just know you are in for more clichés than a Bad News, Steel Panther, Spinal Tap triple-bill.
But you will also know that is exactly what you are here for, and if you are listening to The Rods, you really do not care about nuanced musical expression. You just want more Metal than a Cold War tank factory. This is Bonfire meets Hammerfall meets Twisted Sister. You might think that is impossible, but The Rods make it so. They have had several decades to do it, and they do it very well.
But hang on a second, Wild Dogs Unchained is not all old-school style and influence. Run Run Run has a much more modern feel with its treble-rich, galloping riff. It is a song that oozes menace and malevolence, and unlike the track that precedes it, there is no safe nostalgia with this one. It is gritty, edgy and laced with danger.
The longest song on the album is World On Fire, a seven-minute epic, with a slow, sweeping beginning, which carries with it a real end-of-the-world feel. But in the face of our burning planet, the listener is encouraged to fight to make things good. Who said that Metal could not tackle current affairs?
This is by far the slowest song on the album, but it retains its heaviness throughout, and comes complete with not one but two haunting solos. Mixing vocals and guitar is by no means an easy task, but David ‘Rock’ Feinstein does a stonking good job with both of these band-critical assignments.
The gas pedal gets well and truly stomped on once again with Make Me A Believer. It is a real rocker, and the title says it all, imploring, searching, wanting the listener to have a cause. This will strike a chord with anyone who has even a hint of drums and riffs in their bloodstream, anyone who has ever felt that connection and belonged to the outcast Metal fraternity, and anyone who was made to feel they were unwanted.
Well, this track will make you believe you belong, will actually make you belong. And oh my, ain’t that just something we can all get on board with.
End spot for this album is Hurricane, a track which kicks off with a rolling riff that does not step off the throttle for a single second. It is a song that personifies the destructive power of the hurricane, an unstoppable, unfightable entity, and one that beautifully sums up everything The Rods stand for.
It is raw, it is basic, and sure, it has not changed too much down the years, but if this is your poison, then you will be one satisfied sonofabitch after getting your listening gear around not only this song, but yeah, this whole album.
So that’s what we have with this, the latest offering from The Rods. It is hard, fast, and the energy does not let up for a single second. In terms of new ground broken, it is non-threatening and accessible, but it is also one hundred per cent thoroughly enjoyable Heavy Metal.
So keep it simple, just push it back, crack open a beer, play it loud and enjoy. You know it makes sense.
The Rods released Wild Dogs Unchained last Friday via Massacre Records. The album is available as limited Vinyl LP, CD Digipak, and Digital. For more details, visit save-it.cc/massacre/wild-dogs-unchained.
