All harmonic guitars, and galloping riffs, with a pedigree in supporting classic rock bands such as UFO in previous incarnations, New York band Mirror Queen are a blast from the classic rock era shot straight into your arm today. All driving blues riffs and melodic hooks which stick around forever, they are a reminder of how much fun heavy rock used to be back in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
More direct than previous album Inviolate, on Dying Days they bring their music right into the classic FM formula of old. That’s not to say they don’t stretch out at times, and much of the album leads off into guitar excursions which bring to mind the great Michael Schenker. This is no homage though, and the music remains resolutely their own, with influences there just to join the dots.
‘Dying Days’ is a classic album opener before settling into the funky ‘Cityside’ which in another day and age would have been a massive radio hit. ‘Scapa Flow’ meanders off into jam territory allowing for the band to demonstrate their exploratory side, although nice as it is, it doesn’t really get any further than a meandering riff with some great guitar noodling over the top.
‘Closing In The Gap’ almost sounds like Mötley Crüe’s ‘Looks That Kill’ for a brief few seconds before emerging as one of the more interesting tracks on the album, complete with proggy interludes. The final third of the song is a rather marvellous concoction of repetitive riffing, guitar histrionics, and funky rhythms, all played so tight that you can feel the band locked into their groove.
They continue this locked in groove on the excellent ‘Far Flung’ which intersperses the anthemic chorus with acoustic reveries all backed by a soaring classic rock radio feel. It’s absolutely glorious and makes you feel utterly alive, as well as wishing you was somewhere on the sunset strip sinking a bottle of Jack Daniels. It’s music which makes it feel like the sun is shining everyday and the only concern in life is where the next tune is coming from.
It would be difficult to keep this momentum up throughout the album and ‘This Is My Song’ settles for a more middle of the road groove. Featuring a chorus designed to be sang out loud whilst punching the air, the band keep the song tight and sweet rather than heading out on exploratory routes. That said, there is a rather fantastic solo which will get you reaching for the air guitar. Final song ‘Strider’ is the only one that really outstays its welcome but that’s only because of the sheer strength of the rest of the album. It’s a classic closer though, all meandering riffs and stop/start moments which result in the song taking on somewhat of a journey to its climax.
So there we have it. There is absolutely nothing here which is going to break the mould but on this showing who cares. It’s a classic throwback to the days of classic rock radio, but with very few bands actually doing this anymore its an absolute breath of fresh air. Their pedigree shows through and the musicianship is superlative, but its when they lock into that groove that the album really comes into its own. A must for fans of classic rock.
