“First
Hit For Free” was mixed by
Mike Fraser (AC/DC, The Cult, Aerosmith,
Metallica, Coverdale/Page etc). This
tip will disabuse you and put you
on the right track regarding V6.
Besides which, if you add up a little
bit of Soundgarden, plus some Black
Label Society along with a drop of
early Whitesnake and, of course,
the ultimate British fetish Led Zeppelin,
then you will get the picture for
good. Despite the obvious influences,
V6 are distinguished because they
consist of skilled musicians and
most of all a singer who really makes
the difference, Henry Rundell. It’s
like a disclosure of a secret, if
you ask me. Wide-ranged vocalist,
who brings back memories of the great
ones of hard rock, such as Robert
Plant and Steve Tyler. So far, so
good.
The overall sound is totally 70s
-early 80s- aggressive hard rock
modernized so as to blend in with
the ambition of a newcomer band that
wants to feel unique and not a replica.
Well, as regards this, allow me to
have my doubts. Although the atmosphere
is intense, the guitars are heavy
and musicianship is more than satisfactory,
some things aren’t so bright.
For example, the songs sound too
identical at times, yet there are
some genuine highlights, like “Faith”, “Walking
On Nails” (is something wrong
with me or the intro extremely reminds
Because the Night by Patti Smith?), “Saints & Sinners” (great
track by all means), “Mistaken” (a
song complete in every detail) and “Crawl”.
Nevertheless, the rest of the track
list seems to be wandering through
the same paths and it lacks verve.
In a comparison with Answer the result
is obviously on the side of V6, but
is this enough to regenerate the
hard rock scene or being reputed
as the next big thing? Maybe yes,
maybe no. Only time will tell.
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