Album Review: Green Gasoline - Strike When The Iron Is Hot

Green Gasoline

Strike When The Iron Is Hot

**** out of *****

Before one note the music even flows out, the album cover drawn by Andrei Bouzikov screams out from a certain era of hard rock/metal, then the flying riffs and melodic screams follow. Green Gasoline luxuriate in the bygone sounds when heavy metal was king throughout Strike When The Iron Is Hot. 

The New Orleans based quartet of Logan Leis - bass/vocals, Taylor Chellew - guitar, Dylan Hemard -guitar, and Jon Casteix - drums, are not strictly throwback rockers. The group surely takes a ton of inspiration from late 70's and early 80's hard rock/metal but their execution and song writing keeps things fresh. 

While each song could rehash past genre stereotypes, Green Gasoline instead manage to mix things up consistently on their best offerings. An effort like "Roll The Dice" uses lyrics about staying alive to face these modern tough days while the music has flashes of Motörhead, groove parts and a sludgy finish. Closer "Lie Low Sell High" combines a punkish flair with blazing guitar shredding and a Black Sabbath feel. 

The groups songs can become extended such as on opener "Rough Child" which is a fun metal masher, with great guitar runs, all around a direct blues rock chorus, while the revved up banger "Sweet Mercy" tacks on multiple guitar solos, delivering a "Holy Diver" like feel. When the group stays in one subgenre for a full song, such as on "No Religion", the results are less exciting, but even playing it fairly straight ahead, the outfit still reels off a direct and impressive metal offering

One of Green Gasoline's strongest traits is Leis' vocals which soar crystal clear throughout the record. The high-pitched showcase "Steel The Knight" manages to support the high flying singing with a stomp part, marching drums and guitars that chug/wail simultaneously.  The group keeps shifting musical gears on the instrumental "Swamp Grass Boogie" and the acoustic interlude "Holumen's Last Sail" which drips into their cover of Trapeze's "Medusa", dishing out more hard edged, heavy blues rock. 

It can be fun to play spot the musical influences, but overall Strike When The Iron Is Hot proves that Green Gasoline is more than just the sum of hard rock bands as the New Orleans rockers deliver engaging, classic metal influenced offerings.      

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