Mallory Knox - 'Mallory Knox' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Psycho Killer

2. White Lies

3. The World I Know

4. Livewire

5. Wherever

6. Freaks

7. Fine Lines

8. Black Holes

9. 4

10. Radio

11. Heartbreak Lover

12. Guts

Losing a singer through what ever means is never easy. But that was the situation Mallory Knox found themselves when Mikey Chapman stepped down in early 2018. From here they had two choices. Put Mallory to rest or find a new singer. A daunting task for any band, but they only had to look inwards to co-lead vocalist and bassist Sam Douglas. An ever present voice on Mallory's previous releases found himself ready to take on the full duties of lead vocals.

It didn't take them long to release their first single 'Black Hole'. (Also at the end of February 2018 suggesting this changing of the guard had been on the cards for a while, a fact which was later confirmed.) The single gave a little insight into the future of the band and now we are here with their new self titled album.

So we could spend this whole piece comparing two very different voices, two very different front men. Or we could review the new release from a band who decided to take a step in a new direction.

Did it pay off?

The answer is yes. This is a quality Rock album, to say it’s riff laden would be an understatement. What makes it great though is the amount of effort that’s gone into the songwriting and lyrics. This is not just a bunch of guys hammering seven shades out of their guitars, this is a band who have found their sound and are comfortable with what they are trying to do.

What’s interesting is they have the confidence to write songs that engage anyone who listens on more than one level, yes this is Rock but it feels like intelligent Rock, with a willingness to dial it down when the songs benefits most from it but then to Rock out when that’s what’s needed.

Don’t get me wrong, Mallory Knox can Rock with the best of them, that’s not in doubt. What they can also do is write quality songs that can work there way into your brain and stick there.

If this can get some radio play or a bit of traction on downloads then this album could do really well. There are a few potential singles but there really isn’t any filler on this album, you could release any song and it would sound excellent as a single.

Mallory has set a new course and the future is very bright indeed.