Review WAYWARD SONS ‘Even Up the Score’

Colorful artwork comes with each of the Wayward Sons releases since the band premiered in 2017 with ‘Ghosts of Yet to Come’. These covers were not only colorful but also creepy in way. What also strings the releases together is the numbered series called ‘Dedwood Tales’ with the third episode being supposed to be delivered on October 8^th.

Wayward Sons third longplayer is called ‘Even Up the Score’ and picks things up where the band left off in 2019 with their sophomore album. The new record features eleven rock-laden songs with a great groove, a lot of power and enough edges to make things not to soft and easy.

The up-tempo title track is in the lead-off position and sets the tone of voice for the album. Raw and powerful rock’n’roll is what gets out of the speakers. The next tune on the album is a firework of rock power with former Little Angels singer Toby Jepson’s voice being a central element for Wayward Sons’ sound. If you want it or not, your body starts to move, and if it is only the toes tapping along.

Since we talk about hard rocking tunes, the length of songs is kept to a maximum of four minutes. Wayward Sons manage to distill the essence of rock without getting lost in endless solo antics or unnecessary layers. ‘Downfall’ is a song that reflects the approach in a great way and ‘Looking For a Reason’, with a great bass line, takes the same musical route.

Rock music from the UK has a long history and bands like Wayward Sons that take the heritage and transfer it into the here and now. In a time when joy is so hard to come by, it’s records like ‘Even Up the Score’ that bring the primal energy of rock’n’roll to the plate. Good stuff.