CITY OF THIEVES – Beast Reality
- Posted on 11-12-2018
Insanely groovy and muscular hard rock with balls the size of Texas is what City of Thieves are all about and this debut offering of theirs is a blast from start to finish. There are more wicked hooks and juicy riffs on this record than I can possibly count and the entire thing is riddled with passion and a deep-seated love for everything that is bombastic and hard-hitting. These testosterone-filled dudes are undoubtedly skilled and with a raw and punchy production to boot, there is very little not to love about "Beast Reality" and its twelve cuts. Granted, City of Thieves are not exactly doing anything new or different as such, but we are talking about a riveting blend of tunes that encompasses nearly everything that makes acts such as AC/DC, Aerosmith, Skid Row, and Airborne great here.
There is an urgency to the songs that makes it sound as if these guys are about to explode with creativity and joy, which is a marvelous (and inspiring) thing to experience. If "Control", "Damage", and the face-melting "Incinerator" do not move you in one way or another then there is simply no fucking hope for you. You want pounding drums, crashing cymbals, sharp guitars, fat bass lines, and a singer who means business? Well, look no further, because "Beast Reality" has all of that in spades. On top of that, it barely ever loses momentum.
In some ways, City of Thieves are not that different to the similarly talented Inglorious, but one could argue that there is a bit more grit and power to "Beast Reality" compared to anything that Inglorious have released. Either way, this is a glorious slab of hard and heavy rock music with plenty of diversity and adrenaline to it. Simply put, this is a superb collection of songs that are rich in character – In fact, this is nothing short of modern British rock at its finest.