RGG December 2015 - p.20
Phoenix Rising is the brainchild of Gary Benett, amelodic rock band characterised by Gary's heart
felt and soulful lyrics - a true storyteller. After a few line up changes Gary finally settled on the
ferocious beats of Jeff Simmons, the bass fury of Mr Roger Morgan and the energy and six string
insanity of PB Lockley. Although each member of the band is diverse musically, it all leads to an
eclectic mix of awesome hard rocking tunes.
Perfect. About time we heard more honest rock
‘n’ blues like this being made. This excellent,
professional EP from Wolverhampton is fucking
fabulous! Okay, image isn't everything, and when
I checked out their band pages, I first thought
they needed to spruce it up a bit visually, but as
soon as I played the first track 'Voodoo' I was
blown away. Lots of people claim they write rock
and blues but this is the real stuff. Just the shear
tight grove of the beat by the drummer and
bassist make you want to pick up an
instrument. The guitar playing is spot on with a
really talented frontman singing lyrics that give
you the urge to want to learn them. They could
have written a pile of horse shit after this opening
track and I'd still rave about Phoenix Rising
because when a reviewer puts on a CD and gets
mesmerised by the first song, it's a very rare
thing. Luckily the other four songs on here are
equally as good for different reasons. It's modern
day sounding yet classic songwriting with the
blues rock style and master-playing weight from
the great rock period of the past. I grew up with
bands like Pink Fairies and their 'Never Never
Land' album and it's incredible to hear a band like
Phoenix Rising with that kind of passion
integrating with today's music scene. The
dynamics on the intro to 'Bad Company' are such
a welcome breath of fresh air to hear with a thick
modern sound. 'Voodoo' is still my favourite and
I will stand by that. This music feels alive. It's got
to be the best thing I've heard in a long time.
Phoenix Rising are coming your way!
ep
month
of
the
r
gg
since
1995
Jan 13th @ Robin 2 • Bilston
also at
Glastonbury 2016
JAN
13
