JOHN GÄLT – Still Drinking (Album Review)

If you’re like me, you love the hard rocking sounds of the 80’s glam/hard rock scene. Some people say it’s done and over. I say to those, you’re not looking hard enough! I find new ear worms constantly. No, it may not be coming out of the Sunset Strip like it used to, but it’s still around! One in particular I recently have discovered is John GältStill Drinking.

Taking a bit of a page from the Alice Cooper book, John Gält is not a band member. Apparently the band’s name comes from a famous book: Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. This band from Kharkov, Ukraine features Ostap on vocals and guitar. He belts out melodic choruses similar to what we know and love from bands such as Guns ‘N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe. Maybe even a little Lemmy thrown in! On lead guitar is Oleg playing the riffs that rock along perfectly, and Sid on the bass. Playing along on the drums is Tilip. The production of this CD is fantastic. The sound is clear and comes across great without sounding too polished. Their debut album, Served Hot from 2013, on Street Symphonies Records is a great cross of Glam Metal/Sleaze and with a dash of punkiness thrown in.

JOHN GÄLT – Still Drinking (Album Review)

The opening track, “Cheers” asks, “Are you ready”? And I can honestly say, not knowing anything about this band, I wasn’t ready for the assault to my senses. The band plays along with its own hard rock style. The catchiness made me smile from ear to ear as my head bopped along with each lick and chorus. Settling into the next track “On/Off” the path changes into a simple beat that eventually catches up into another great rocker. Not as catchy as the first, but definitely still good.

The opening bass lines of the third track, “Angels Of Rock‘N’ Roll” remind this listener of some of our favourites from the early days of the Strip Era. Next up is almost an anthem of the hard rock/metal era, “Drink Until You Die”. A song that almost tells the tale of too many bands we have loved and lost. Following this is, “Stand Up to the Job”. Not my personal favourite, but still has enough great beats, and riffs to keep me listening through without skipping it.

Meet you in Australia” is next and again isn’t a really hard rocker, but the guitar work is phenomenal. It has a Trixter/Bang Tango sound to it to me. “Camaro” is next and is a song that is about love. A little more of an attempt of a rocking ballad, but in the styling of Bon Jovi. Second to last is “Black Label”. This is back to form! A great sounding rocker, and the licks, and beats of this one had me rocking out while it played. Closing out the CD is “Two Are Better Than One”. This one has a great drum beat and bass line to get you grooving immediately and then it all comes in together. A great tune to close out the album.

JOHN GÄLT – Still Drinking (Summary)

All in all, this album has made it onto my playlist and has had a continuous rotation on my day to day listening. If you want the sleaze/hard rock sounds of the strip that I personally loved, then this album is definitely something you should check out. Your ears won’t be disappointed!

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Trevor “Psychoone” McDougall.

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