As swansongs go this one is fairly dramatic with the death of bandleader and frontman Wayne Kramer and original drummer Dennis ‘Machine Gun’ Thompson earlier this year.
Heavy Lifting, produced by Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed) provides one last gasp of the band’s high-energy rock n’ roll. The title track is a solid opener that fans of the band’s talismanic track Kick Out The James will love. It also features a guest appearance from Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
The short, tight riffs of Barbarians At Gate show Kramer doing what he does best. Several tracks are punctuated by special guests such as Slash and William Duvall (Alice In Chains) on The Edge of the Switchblade. Slash and Kramer doodle their way through this perfunctory slab of rock. Black Boots has a much funkier and catchy flavour that will remain stuck in your head after one listen.
Blind Eye is one of two tracks featuring the band’s original drummer Dennis ‘Machine Gun’ Thompson and it sounds like the pair simply enjoying one last blast during a driving hard rock track. Hit It Hard fearing Joe Berry is an infectious funky jazz closer that sadly brings the curtain down on Detroit’s Motor City Five.
Kramer deserved more as part of one of the most influential rock n’ roll bands of all time. He has finished well with many of his famous fans stepping up to lend a helping hand in recent years.
Kramer’s brilliance has stood out one last time and just enough to remind us just how good he really was.
