TREMENDOUS

Relentless

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Genre: Glam Rock.
Released: 15/05/2020

Album Review: TREMENDOUS – Relentless

Birmingham based glam rockers TREMENDOUS are here with their first full-length album ‘Relentless’! The band offer a fresh take on the old school style and have made quite the impact already. Having airtime on stations such as Kerrang! Radio and BBC Rocks to name a few, the future looks promising for the young lads. I thought it would only be right for me to check out the band’s debut album and here is exactly what I thought of it.

My first impression of the band comes from the song ‘Don’t Leave Our Love (Open For Closing)’. The song features a catchy chorus and a unique riff progression throughout. Despite the song being fairly repetitive, it manages to keep you engaged throughout the entire track so TREMENDOUS are off to a good start. Following that is ‘Like Dreamers Do’. A slow, stereotypical glam rock ballad feels right at home on an album like this. The delicacy of some of the rhythm sections really boosts this song to the next level. A strong vocal performance from Mark Dudzinski is the cherry on top for this one. 

‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Satellite’ should work wonders however it just doesn’t land for me. It suffers from sounding too much like every other glam rock track that was just OK. Maybe if it was still the 80’s this would be a megahit but it really misses the mark nowadays. Continuing down the album I was met with ‘Bag of Nails’. The flow of the record is a little skewed with a mishmash of styles not quite going together perfectly. Musically, this song is great. Awesome drumming from Dave Lee will have you grooving till the completion of the song. A great way to get the record back on track.

Halfway through the album now and ‘Daniela’ picks up the pace. A smooth intro into a fast-paced assault really made this song stand out. The infectious beat mixed with a great yet short guitar solo left a lasting impression on me. By far the standout song of the record for me! Unfortunately ‘Take a Good Look at My Good’ just doesn’t blend well with the previous song. An extremely noticeable change of pace that you would expect from a randomly shuffled playlist leaves the flow of the record all over the place. Strictly talking about the song, it’s decent. Nothing that will blow you away however it does suit the band’s sound nicely.

‘Heart Sinker’ again messes with the flow of the record. A much more energetic song that sounds anthemic in nature. In a live setting, this song would be a lot of fun for fans and the band alike. The highly energetic sound is definitely TREMENDOUS’ stronger style. The vocals rip through the song while they can deliver a memorable beat after beat. A really strong song is followed by a potentially stronger one in ‘Fightin’ to Lose’. This song sounds like a mix of glam and old school punk and it rocks! The song would sound right in place back in the ’80s and is a really impressive attempt at modernizing the sound. An awesome job from the Brummie boys.

The penultimate track is here and ‘Hell Is Only a Blessing Away’ is ok. A few noticeable moments in the song where there are missed notes and slightly off time snare hits that don’t sound intentional make what could have been a great song and diminish it. A really unfortunate way to start the build-up to the finale. A saving grace from the song has to be Mark’s Guitar playing. A really impressive display of what he can produce on the guitar. So here we are. The final song. ‘Copycat Killer’ has the privilege of ending the record which is a huge opportunity. The song is once again a highly energetic tune and it doesn’t disappoint. Consisting of an in your face beat and a real classic sounding guitar solo mixed with a bouncy bassline and another powerful vocal performance send the album off perfectly! 

‘Relentless’ is a decent effort from TREMENDOUS considering it is their first album.  The band show a huge amount of potential and seem to be the torchbearers of modern glam rock. I must admit when I heard about a glam band in 2021 I was sceptical but the boys really have done a good job at bringing the genre to a modern audience. I look forward to seeing what they have to offer in the future.