By David O’Neill
Gone Savage were formed in Manchester back in the early ’90s and had some limited local success, releasing several albums before they went on hiatus from 2013. Several of the original members resurrected the band in 2019 and recorded and released multiple singles that eventually made it onto the 2022 digitally released album ‘Pastlife’. Getting signed by Muzzle Records has resulted in this compilation of new tracks, with original members Ian Salpeker (bass) and Will Glover on vocals being joined by Dex Tyler (drums) and Jon Sudbury on guitar and backing vocals.
‘Retrograde’ is a ten-track album that is a bit like Ronseal – it does what it says on the tin! There are a variety of styles across the tracks but they are all firmly based in the late ’80s/early ’90s rock genre. The instrumentation is clear and each proponent has their own space in the mix. However, there are times when the lead vocals (which are a bit Axl Rose in the higher register) get lost in the strength of the rest of the mix, especially in the “heavier” tracks such as ‘Ram Me Mown’ and ‘Shameless’.
However, there is some increasing clarity in this on the gentler tracks such as ‘Here Comes The Shade’ and ‘Soul Sister’, both of which have great guitar solos at their respective breakdowns. The latter song reminding me a bit of GnR’s ‘Patience’ in parts.
‘Adrenaline Junkie’ doesn’t open up as you’d imagine it would. In fact its totally opposite, with a gentle acoustic guitar and drum section supporting the taped opening before the vocals and other instruments join the track. ‘In2Ya’ is a more upbeat track that is carried along very well by the underlying guitar riff and rhythm section throughout. It’s probably my favourite track on the album.
The penultimate track ‘Sunshine And Flowers’ has another strong bass/rhythm section that carries it through to its conclusion, but it is a bit lacklustre on the whole. The last track, ‘D.R.O.W.N.I.N.G.’, is another track that is likely to grow on you the more you play it.
The album is well written and overall reasonably well produced but needs to be listened to on decent quality devices to enable the full audio integrity intended by the band. It is ‘Retrograde’ as the title states, and there are many tracks to like, but the production can let the vocals down in parts, especially on lower quality devices such as cheap earphones.
- ‘Retrograde‘ is out now.
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.