By Jonny Bakes
It’s crazy to think that some of the great songs on classic rock are approaching the age where they would be picking up their bus pass and heading down to the post office to draw out the week’s pension. Yet somehow these songs still excite generations of rock music fans, with kids still finding the likes of Zeppelin and Motörhead in their parents (or grandparents) music collections and rocking out! Hell, the stuff that makes classic rock so special is still present in modern music, with new bands cropping up dedicating themselves to the stylings of ’60s and ’70s greats – a “new wave of classic rock”, if you will. It seems that the aptly named Time Rift are one such band, who emerged in the dark times of 2020 to bring us life and comfort with their debut album ‘Eternal Rock’ and are here again with the much anticipated follow up, ‘In Flight’. The seatbelt light is lit, so it’s time for me to buckle up and experience this Time Rift Sensation!
‘In Flight’ clearly draws on influences from across the ’70s and ’80s rock and metal scenes with influences from Motorhead, Kiss and Iron Maiden all making an appearance. You’ll find yourself whisked back to your glory days (or maybe your parents glory days) whilst still feeling rooted in the modern day, and perhaps even uttering the phrase “what year is it?”. The whole album is high energy rock n roll that is comfortably familiar and invokes images of lairy nights down the rock bar, sinking beers and shooting pool. The vocals of Domino Monet channel the energy of the likes of Joan Jett and Doro Pesch providing a clear focal point for the music. To be fair, for a three piece band, Time Rift manages to pack in a whole lot of noise and energy that even the harshest of critics will struggle not to get caught up in the music and, heaven forbid, even enjoy themselves!
A couple of tracks really stood out to me on my first play through, the first of which is ‘Coyote Queen’ that initially caught my attention for the riff bearing a striking resemblance to Kiss’ ‘Strutter’. With an infectious rhythm, I found myself nodding along pretty much straight away but it really comes into its own with the chorus which, in fairness, is just the title repeated several times, but the passion with which it’s delivered is pretty impressive. It’s one of those songs that builds up in layers, with the drums kicking in first to then be built upon with guitar, bass and then finally the vocals kick in for a rock anthem that is sure to impress on the live stage.
The other one stood out for sounding a bit like the theme for an old cop show or movie, and also just happens to be the title track, ‘In Flight’. It starts out relatively inconspicuous with a simple riff and a continuation of the same high octane energy that the rest of the album has, but towards the middle of the song it hits you with a brief breakdown that instantly brought forth images of police chases through American cities. For me, this took it up an extra notch to stop it blending into the rest of the album (which wouldn’t be a bad thing as the whole album is pretty impressive).
So, all in all, if you have a strong passion for classic rock and metal and often yearn to be back in the golden age then perhaps a trip through the Time Rift is on the cards. It’s like a trip back in time whilst keeping one foot rooted in the modern day where the fuzzy catchy riffs meets crisp production. I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets picked up by Planet Rock at some point, and when it does, it will be well deserved.If you consider yourself a fan of any of the bands I’ve mentioned so far, then really you should check out ‘In Flight!’