No Frills, No Fuss

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons is made up of some serious rock pedigree. Phil Campbell, the eponymous guitarist of the band, spent 31 years as the guitarist of legendary outfit Motorhead, which should garner interest for this EP right off the bat. The rest of the band is largely a family affair, containing Campbell's sons, bassist Tyla, guitarist Todd and drummer Dane. Don't think plain old nepotism got the Campbell boys into their dad's band – all three are part of two of Wales' finest rock bands, with Tyla playing in The People The Poet and both Todd and Dane playing in the recently reawakened Straight Lines.

So far, so good. But, there's more – the lineup is topped off by vocalist Neil Starr of States and Empires, also of ex-Dopamine and Attack! Attack! fame.

Still following? Good.

Now, having all these names and connections is great, but it doesn't really matter if Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons' new self-titled EP is rubbish. Thankfully, the new record doesn't see the band resting on their laurels – rather than re-hashing the members' previous output, the result is a satisfying blend of good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll and modern South Walian alt-rock.

Opening track 'Big Mouth' kicks off proceedings in suitably loud fashion with Phil Campbell's no-frills guitar sound and a pissed off Neil Starr belting their way through a punchy, no-nonsense alt-rock song. 'Spiders' sees Phil on top form with a raunchy half-time riff and a great wah-guitar solo combining with a huge chorus to produce the undeniable highlight of the EP. Somewhat surprisingly, the EP's closer, 'Life In Space', is a heartfelt acoustic ballad that features some impressive guitar work, centered around a beautifully intricate riff.

'Take Aim' is a more unimaginative affair that, despite containing some stellar guitar riffs, has a fairly limp chorus and lacks the grit that could push it into “rock 'n' roll banger” territory. 'No Turning Back', while featuring the kind of vocals that could have benefited 'Take Aim', also lacks the spark that makes the rest of the EP really take off.

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons have put out a solid, huge-sounding EP, with all credit for its honest, straightforward production going to Todd of the Campbell clan. As you might expect from an ex-Motorhead guitarist, this five-track EP is absolutely packed with riff after riff, without sounding like a Phil Campbell vanity project. There are times where the record stagnates and becomes a bit unoriginal, but these are completely outweighed by the times that the EP totally hits the spot.

7/10

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