New Generation Superstars - Rock N Roll Or Die

The long awaited third album from east midlands rockers New Generation Superstars ‘Rock N Roll Or Die’ on Underdog Records Ltd is provisionally due to be released on free download from 11^th March 2013 via itunes and reverbnation. Thereafter it will be available to buy from 1^st May in an exclusive ‘Bastardz Division’ fanpack.

The Leicester based band will also be undertaking an extensive UK tour from 7^th March 2013 to promote the album taking in all points of the compass and they’ll also be supporting American rock legends Love/Hate in Rugby on 6^th April.

The twelve track ‘Rock N Roll Or Die’ is the much anticipated follow up to ‘Crash Course In Rock N Roll’ (2007) and ‘Raising The Stakes’ (2009) New Gen’s previous two albums and the first album with the current line-up of AJ (guitars/vox) Davey Messiah (lead guitars/backing vox) Rik Jaimz (bass/backing vox) and Lexxie Kaine (drums).

Track one, the titular ‘Rock N Roll Or Die’ is already a favourite song of the fans, having been introduced into the live set a good while back now and gets underway after a minute long intro of twiddley radio signals and the strains of an air raid siren, thankfully when it is in full flow this anthemic number delivers the prelude to the whole dozen songs on the album, fast paced, easy to follow ‘sing along’ lyrics, punchy drum beat and guitar riffs it’s easy to see why it’s a fan favourite and the record version maintains the intensity of the live performance.

Next up is the charmingly titled song ‘Bastards’ another favourite that’s been in the live set a long time. A great song to sing along to, ‘rock and roll bastard! BASTARDS!’ sung with gusto by a sweaty crowd, you can’t beat it. This ‘record’ version however seems a little more subdued than when played live but never the less with lyrics like ‘heard it all before’ and ‘raising the steaks’ thrown into the mix makes this a trademark NGS number.

After two immensely strong and recognisable songs track three ‘Can’t Live Without Them’ is brand new to my ears which means it will be unfamiliar to everyone outside of NGS. It’s a bit of a curio running at only 2:47 and I hope I’m not doing it an injustice to say it’s a bit of an album filler.

Quickly moving on to track four ‘Black Heart’ is also a ‘newbie’ to me and seems more in the NGS canon than track three. Having said that ‘Black Heart’ is a brooding and moody classic rock song full of wailing Davey Messiah guitar licks that is not too typical of New Gen and it shows the bands willingness to experiment a bit with their style.

The next song ‘Life Of Crime’ is also a departure from the norm, never the less this song is more of a winner than the previous two songs giving AJ plenty to do vocally all in all a well crafted song.

It’s the halfway point of the album and we’re back on familiar ground, ‘Hell City’ is another live favourite, written about the bands experiences in Helsinki the Finnish capital that NGS have successfully played many times in the past.

Track seven is ‘Guess What’ and also belongs in the ‘live set’ category, another favourite of the crowd ‘Guess What’ always gets a reaction, I mean who wouldn’t want to punch the air and sing in response to AJ’s ‘guess what?’…. ‘GET FUCKED!’ I know I do.

‘My Life’ comes next it’s punk attitude appeals and lyrically is typical of what NGS are about. Whereas track nine, ‘The Price’ couldn’t be more different, this song is a heartfelt reflection of the drawbacks of being in a rock band. Track ten is more typical of NGS, ‘Rockstar’ is the antipathy of the previous song all about fast women and fast cars it’s also pact with trademark guitar licks from Davey and AJ, it picks up the tempo from track nine as well.

The penultimate track ‘Solid Gold (Let The Good Times Roll)’ is, dare I say one of the best songs on the album, if it isn’t in the live set then in needs inclusion. It showcases New Generation Superstars at their best and worth the price of this album on it’s own.

As a finale NGS have decided to finish on a ballad ‘Waste Of Time’ is reminiscent of ‘Save Me’ the ballad that is track twelve of ‘Raising The Stakes’, their previous album. Whether ‘Waste Of Time’ is as good a song I’ll leave that to the individual listener to decide but if nothing else it sets a trend for future NGS albums.

Summing up then ‘Rock N Roll Or Die’ is a bit of a curates egg of an album around half the songs are tried and trusted, typically NGS but rather than serve up a dozen similar tracks this album strays dramatically into uncharted territory for the East Midlands hard rockers. Whether any of the ‘new’ songs make it into the live set is questionable however ‘Solid Gold (L.T.G.T.R)’ is a revelation for me being the only song I haven’t heard before on this album that should be played live. Talking of live go online http://www.facebook.com/ForbiddenMP/events and checkout the upcoming tour dates, make sure you get to at least one show (more if you can) because New Generation Superstars are gonna rock n’ roll your socks off or die trying… GD.