A promising start from a band who I think would deliver the goods in the live environment.
Black Bull is a female fronted quartet based in the Czech Republic. The band started in December 2009 featuring musicians who have played throughout Europe and the USA. So far they have performed mainly in their own country at open-air events, bike shows and festivals, including Masters Of Rock and Vizovice 2011. The band has a no-nonsense hard rock approach and style reminiscent of Doro or Girlschool, a refreshing change from the countless symphonic and gothic offerings cluttering the market at the moment, and 'Rock All Night' is the debut album.
If I am honest it is only an average album. Some of the song structures are a little loose and clumsy on occasion, but the hooks, in the main, have enough quality to keep up the interest levels. The lyrics lack originality and depth but I imagine it must be hard at times to write in a language that is not your first. Singer Lucie Roubickova has a decent set of pipes, slightly dirty but an ideal match for the material. There are no extended workouts, it is just a basic verse/chorus/verse/chorus format, with 'Dirty Game' and 'Danger Zone' being the best examples, and I can see why Black Bull are popular at festivals and bike shows. The production values seem to vary from track to track. Sometimes muddy and sometimes with a thin drum sound, but I guess for an independent release I have heard a lot worse. Henning Wanner (White Lion/Circle II Circle) guests on a piano version of the song 'Rape Me Back' and it would have been nice to see more input of this type during some of the other less driven songs.
I have to admit that I drifted a little as the CD progressed through its 11 songs but 'Rock All Night' is certainly a promising start from a band who I think would deliver the goods in the live environment.
Dave Bott
Subscribe to this comment's feed
