I have been a fan of Courtnay & The Unholy Reverie from the first time I heard them. Bluesy, ballsy, full and professional. Hailing from that bastion of quality Kiwi music, the mighty Taranaki, this band keeps on delivering and developing.
Lead vocalist Courtnay Low (rhythm guitars too) is joined on lead vocals for this mammoth rock track by the bands bassist Keith Parker. Lead guitars are delivered with cojones the size of spacehoppers by Riley Smith, and all is steamrollered into the stratosphere by monster drums by James Mora.
To the song! Kicking off with some red hot, full bodied guitar courtesy of a slide into some thudding, fuzz-laden rhythm we’re not left for long before the rattlesnake vocal melody kicks in. This is a vocal duet, as mentioned, by Courtnay and Keith, with vocal timbres that compliment one another and lend themselves to this genre entirely. And this genre is my sweet spot, so prepare for some fawning.
It kicked in with what I could only describe as a Suzi Quatro-esque intro circa her megastar era of 1973-74. Think Can The Can, Devil Gate Drive, Daytona Demon. That leather-clad high priestess of the hard-edged UK Glam Rock (even though she’s from Detroit) era. Pure energy-driven rock for the sake of being on a stage delivering it. As the two vocalists get right into the fey, sneering melody, the bass, lead guitar and drums thunder into the mix and we are at DefCon FIVE.
The song transcends the Suzi Q intro and takes us into a rich, bottomless maelstrom of sound that takes me to my favourite of the UK’s “Big Three” from the 70s, Deep Purple. It hints at psychedelia while staying on a heavy rock knife-edge, all the while blistering the paint off the walls as the band shows their chops on their tools of trade. Looking at who sat behind the desks here, I am unsurprised that the musicianship is matched by the production.
My countryman Greg Haver produced this little treat. Engineered by the formidable Clint Murphy, mastered at Sterling Sound, the band has Rock Music studio royalty marking their first release under AAA Records. Something those two gentlemen consistently do is retain the urgency, energy and organic feel of a song. They have once again done that here.
I don’t have a vid to review, but that’s not an issue, because this song is bloody epic. Hard Rock like it should be done. This is a shoo-in for The Rock, Hauraki, any and all rock friendly channels. With AAA in their corner this is going to get out further than these shores, and I’m going to be watching for the tours to be further afield soon. The band has done its time and deserve such things now.
It’s been released for a few weeks so you can jump on it now. If you’re a fan of this type of music you will not be disappointed in this little number. It’s screaming out ENCORE number for their live set, and you will find yourself in the pit down the front for this one. Trust me.
Reviewed in retrospect thanks to things I shall not discuss here. Go look for it. Go now.
This review was written by a human (albeit a creaky, jaded one with an ambition to epitomise the word “curmudgeon”). If you have doubts please use the following tool or something like it to reassure yourself. NOTE: I am not being paid to advertise this service:
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