Artist Bio
SIDEBURN - CHERRY RED
I found it quite amusing that while listening to Switzerland's Sideburn on their new album 'Cherry Red' that I found myself thinking of Accept and Krokus at the time. Then looking on the band's website a few days later, I discover that in their earlier incarnation as Genocide, their first EP was producd by Dierk Steffens (Accept) in 1989, and the follow up album 'Showtime' (1992) was produced by Jurg Nargeli (Krokus). Talk about wearing your influences on your sleeve! But then, there is also a lot of Gotthard going on here, so I think you can tell nby now that this is quite a little gem of an album.
It's hard to believe the guys have been around for over 20 years (having changed their name to Sideburn in 1997), as I've never head much about them before the last few years, but if their music is anything like as powerful and melodic as displayed on here, then I surely wouldn't mind a little trip down memory lane.
Just stick the CD in the player and talk a listen to opening track 'Gimme the Way' - total in your face, riff-ripping rock in the vein of Gotthard meet Georgia Satellites, with a production that would blister paint of the walls at 20 paces. Following track 'Hurricane Race' can be found on this issue's cover CD, and will give you a complete picture of what Sideburn are about; vocalist Roland Pierrehumbert coming across as a more melodic Udo Dirkschneider on the verses, but the chorus being a massive injection of Gotthard fuelled melody with Boris' lead guitar raging out the speakers at every turn. Marvellous stuff. Elsewhere, it's like Bonfire have fully embaraced their love of southern boogie rock, and with a detour to Thunder territory, with a collection of infuriatingly catchy, head banging songs. They even have time to visit 70's UK glam with 'Lipstick Lady' which sounds like what T-Rex might be recording had they still been around today.
Bottom line - if you want catchy, hard-riffing boogie/glam/hard melodic rock played with passion and fire and a marvellous sound, this is certainly an album worth investigating. Colour me impressed. - Bruce Mee
www.sideburn.ch
