Album review: Buckcherry – Roar Like Thunder

The problem for Buckcherry is that they’re damned if they do, and damned if they don’t. The Californians are pretty much the last men standing from that whole bourbon-and-bandanas sleaze metal thing, and precisely nobody wants or expects anything else from them. They’re still good at what they do, but the trouble is, what they do isn’t much fun anymore. It certainly has little place in modern life, no more so than Steel Panther, who are, you will note, taking the piss.

So, here we go again with Buckcherry, for an 11th round, and at face value it’s as good as it’s ever been – the band know their place. Josh Todd, an excellent frontman who unlike his peers has genuinely looked after himself, still sings with fully flexed, attitude-laced nasal sneer. Title-track Roar Like Thunder does what it says on the tin, throbbing riffs and driving drums very quickly marshalled into a kicking hook, setting off Mr. Todd’s distinctive hot-footed dance moves.

Buckcherry do this again, repeatedly in fact. Come On is a bit different, the stuttering riff clearly driven by a love of AC/DC, while Hello Goodbye sees the band try something a bit more thoughtful and melodic, to some success. Elsewhere, they’re eyeing up the same old targets, trying to re-write early hits Crazy Bitch and Lit Up. ‘Nothing is an issue ’cause you like it all’ leers Josh in Talkin’ About Sex, and yeah, we’ve definitely been to this club before.

Sadly, Buckcherry aren’t in any position to win. If they tried something wildly different and went a bit A7X on us, their loyal fanbase would throw its collective arms in the air and wail in anguish. Taken for what it is, a retro-flavoured sleaze rock album, Roar Like Thunder hits the mark. But it’s an echo from an era in rock that ain’t ever coming back.

Verdict: 2/5

For fans of: Guns N’Roses, Mötley Crüe, Dirty Honey

Roar Like Thunder is released on June 13 via Earache