Review: Peacemaker, Die! – Chapter One (EP)

Red Dragon Records (2015)

Reviewer: Dan Mann

Peacemaker, Die! hail from South Wales and were formally known as Blackbyrd. What they deliver is unashamedly hard rock with traces of 70’s rock and a hint of southern rock to boot.

‘Chapter One’ is a five track EP (I do like the ‘return’ of EP’s) which kicks off with ‘Time’, a track very reminiscent of the band Crowsaw, with a very similar guitar sound.

Moving onto ‘Fake’ with its catchy chorus and foot stomping bass line, this being the shortest track on the EP and a track that gets you reaching to turn the volume up.

Things slow down for ‘Walk Towards The Sun’ which starts with a real Southern rock feel and certainly ticks the boxes for me, very enjoyable. Phil Lye’s Welsh roots are obvious but with a Skynyrd lilt if that makes sense.

‘Far Away From Here’ starts with slowly building guitar and a solid beat before breaking into a great hook from Darran Smith. This is rough around the edges without it sounding like amateur hour which is a tricky thing to pull off properly.

And so, to the final track, which is also the longest track of the EP, ‘Last Man Standing’. Again you’re greeted with a mixture of rock, southern and a hint of sleaze which makes for an interesting and enjoyable sound.

It’ll be interesting to see if the band continues in this direction if and when they release a full length album. They’re certainly a band to keep an eye on.