When a modern band brings the riffs – blues-inspired, heavy metal moments akin to Black Sabbath or Deep Purple – well, you can consider my interest piqued. Hailing from Boston, power rock trio Heavy AmericA has been cranking out acclaimed music since 2015 – music resulting in millions of streams, a busy touring schedule, national and international acknowledgement, and college radio saturation. So, is their latest single, “Lucky,” another example of classic hard rock granted a respectable modern spin? Let’s break it down:
Heavy AmericA features Michael T. Seguin (lead vocals, guitar), Budd Lapham (bass, vocals) and Dan Fried (drums, vocals) – three talented musicians who are COMPLETELY in sync during the performance (which is absolutely necessary considering “Lucky” begins with five staccato notes played simultaneously by each band member). And when the verse occurs over such timing-dependent phrasing, it slips into a transitional riff, adding a darker emotional blotting before returning to the verse. And when we get to the chorus? Well, it really is something.
The chorus, to me, really gives off a Black Sabbath vibe with dark, distorted notes and gritty, almost sludgy chords. This is powerful stuff that harkens back to the very beginnings of heavy metal.
After the chorus and a return to those staccato-peppered verses, things get interesting (and tastefully more aggressive): chugging muted notes play for several bars before returning to a powerful reiteration of the chorus; this is a nice energy shift that shows off the band’s adept songwriting and nimble, technical prowess.
And, after that final chorus, “Lucky” begins to wind down. Well, at least ostensibly, considering it receives a final injection of sludgy riffs and some interesting and unexpected chord changes. But after that, it truly winds down as if exhausted – all that remains is rumbling bass and the slow clanging of diminishing cymbal strikes.
So, is it actually good?
Oh, heck yeah. When rock was king, and in its heyday, it sounded like this. And married to a sort of modern energy, “Lucky” is indeed a stunning, contemporary-but-medieval-tinged rock song. If you’re sick of “War Pigs,” maybe give Heavy AmericA’s “Lucky” a spin. You won’t be disappointed.
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BELOW: Listen to Heavy AmericA and check them out on Bandcamp, Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, Instagram, and several more popular social and music-focused platforms. Please support Heavy AmericA by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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