EP REVIEW: About Time – The Wicked Jackals

Claiming to be “enlightening audiences to a sound which has all but disappeared from UK stages”, Watford’s THE WICKED JACKALS pull their sound straight from the Hollywood Boulevard circa 1981, with ripped denim jackets, studded belts, backcombed hair-dos and dripping in enough eyeliner to make you forget…wait…is this 2019?

Comprised of 5 tracks, their new EP About Time immediately entrenches itself in some of rock’s greatest — MÖTLEY CRÜE, AEROSMITH, GUNS ‘N ROSES, VAN HALEN and KISS all come to mind — and as the result of six years of rehearsals, shows and new members, there’s definitely nothing new about THE WICKED JACKALS. Where the decision to kick the whole thing off with a bass melody should have you salivating for the guitar drop, instead Alex Gifford’s chance to shine on opener Ain’t Gonna Change is marred by poor production quality, slowly fizzling to life and failing to lift off leaving just hint of moisture on the tongue.

What seems strikingly obvious, particularly in Fortune And Glory, is that their homage to all things glam rock is less than glamorous. Guitarist/vocalist Ollie Tindall comes across as clumsy and rushed. At times he stumbles over his words in the verses, and as if realising he’s being left behind while the rest of the band make up for lost time, attempts to catch up. But by the time he slots back into place any semblance of catchy lyricism have lost their poetical oomph. Likewise with the rest of the band, who all sound cumbersome in their delivery of rollicking riffs and high flying solos: like trying to put together a sonic puzzle but all of the pieces are the wrong shapes.

Expectedly, aforementioned self-indulgent solos run rife throughout the EP too. Gone To The Dogs follows a now established and stoic formula; plodding along with a not so stomping pace where THE WICKED JACKALS once again should be racing to a climactic chorus with enough anthemic layers that forces you to sing-along with fists pumping the air. Instead Tindall‘s solo attempts to takes things to the next level but falls flat in its speed and intricacy.

There’s complacency here to follow in the footsteps of those that have come before them rather than pushing rock to a new level or direction. Where their successful peers keeping glam metal alive in arenas on both sides of the Atlantic (think how STEEL PANTHER caricature the genre and push the boundary of explicit content in their lyrics ) About Time is your average rock EP that sadly sits at an amateur level with very little production value.

There’s a reason why the sound has almost disappeared from UK stages – because it’s 2019. Glam rock has it place in time, and at that time it was gloriously silly and genius all at the same time with middle fingers proudly raised in the air, coupled with a production quality on record that is so lush and loud it leaves you dizzy. But About Time lacks that lushness and that volume to knock your socks off, so much so that by the time closer Scream comes around you’ll be glad it’s all over.

Rating: 4/10

About Time is set for release June 14th via self-release. 

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