Just from the swinging riff that kicks off the opening track (and first single) “The Boards”, I knew this record would rock. With a vibe that recalls a slicker version of Monster Truck, the Moncton, New Brunswick based group marries big riffs with catchy melodies and big choruses, powered by the energy of a live show. As a matter of fact, the band refined most of these songs on stage before even entering the recording studio, and it shows. All the fat has been stripped away, and what’s left is a straight ahead rock album that, while sometimes a little derivative, is always a lot of fun.
“Holding Patterns” is the band’s third record, and the first one where the band feels they’ve found their identity. Having stabilized their lineup with four guys sharing the same goals, they’re embracing their DNA as a rock band. Their sound is a little more contemporary than a lot of the great rock bands coming out of Canada recently so they should be able to find their spot among them. They’ve embarked on an extensive cross-Canada tour that will unfortunately skip Montreal (why is it that most of these modern Canadian rock bands skip our city?). This material cries to be heard live; not that it sounds bad on record, far from it, but this kind of energy gets amplified ten fold with tons of decibels and a screaming crowd.
The Motorleague is definitely not on a holding pattern; this is a band that’s going places.
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He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
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