Ben Hemming - Darkness Before Dawn 
Release Date: Out Now
London based Ben Hemming has a brilliantly unique sound which has impressed my on his recent run of singles so I was excited to get to grips with his new album, 'Darkness Before Dawn'. The collection gets started, conversely, with 'The End' but I suppose every ending is just the beginning of something new and when the rattling guitar melodies and thudding drums you get the very distinct sensation that something new is coming. 'Baptise Me' follows with a blues-grunge sound that matches Hemming's Eddie Vedder-esque vocal perfectly before 'Lonesome Road' gets in to the groove with a riff that is part Gozer Goodspeed and part Tenacious D.
Former single 'Holy For A Day' still has one of the best riffs I've heard in a long time as the metallic twang of the guitar shakes your bones and rattles your head in the best way possible. 'Sunrise' takes the vibe in to the early hours with the promise of a new day and the prospect of making a change while 'Propane' is a moody Cobain-meets-Cash blues-grunge number that feels like an old blanket full of memories and comfort but stained with emotion and tears.
Hemming's veers towards the country end of the spectrum on 'Born To Die', a sound his voice is perfectly suited to as the rich, deep tones add pathos to the strumming. 'Dark Waters' is a behemoth of a swamp-rock stomper that emerges from the muddy weeds to cause havoc in the town with a soundtrack of dirty guitars and ominously relentless drums. Penultimate track, 'Howling At The Moon', has a touch of the Nick Cave moodiness to it before the album closes out with 'The Devil's Dance' signs off with a single finger and the smell of dust and gasoline as our hero leaves town on a Harley, riding off in to the sunset. This album is not one for Radio 1 fans or Tik Tok viewers, this is for people who like their whiskey to burn on the way down and wear sunglasses at all times of day. A brilliant album and, like I say, something particularly unique.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/benhemmingmusic
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