BLACK OAK COUNTRY
THEATER OF THE MIND
Mighty Music
Release: April 26, 2019
Black Oak County, originally a hard rock quartet heavily influenced by southern rock, classic rock and even metal, was formed in the coastal town of Esbjerg in the summer of 2014. Within the first couple of years, the band had already played major festivals throughout Denmark, had been the supporting act for the Danish rock-legends D-A-D (Disneyland After Dark), and had gotten their first endorsement through the highly acclaimed guitar and bass effects company, T-Rex Effects.
The band signed a deal with record label Mighty Music in the spring of 2016 and released their hard-hitting debut album in January 2017. The band got massive radio airplay, especially with the singles “If you only knew” and “Mad Dog”.
The big highlight on the live front was as a supporting act for supergroup The Dead Daisies.
Just as things were starting to take off for the band, a major obstacle came along. In the fall of 2017, then singer/guitarist Niels Beier announced to the band that he had lost the interest in
music and no longer wanted to continue in the band. So, after a sold-out farewell-gig in hometown Esbjerg, Niels got a worthy send off and soon after, the search was on for a new
singer.
Tracklist:
Watch Your Back
Just Another Psycho
My Chance To Change
Since You’ve Been Gone
Pretty Pistol
Sycophanic
Wasted Life
I Know You’re Lonely
Stick To My Guns
Theatre Of The Mind
After a long search, no one quite fit the bill, so Jack, Mike and René arrived at a decision. René would take over vocal duties as well as continuing on as bassist, giving the band a complete musical makeover with his more clean and somewhat melodic sound.
So, regrouping as a trio, Black Oak County has embraced a fresh, sleeker and more modern sound, focusing on the basics; riff, melody and hook, and have released their sophomore album in spring 2019 through Mighty Music.
From the beginning to the end, Black Oak Country continues to impress me with every song. Starting with catchy riffs and hooks in ‘’Watch Your Back’’ and ‘’Just Another Psycho, it is clear to me that this is going to be a killer album, and oh boy was I right.
‘’My Chance to Change’’ is a beautiful track, these guys are so talented! ‘’Since You’ve Been Gone’’ and ‘’Pretty Pistol’’ are both great tracks as well. However they are not one of my favourites. ‘’Sycophanic’’ on the other hand is very high up the list! ‘’Stick To My Guns’’ is very impressive too, I like the message of the song. ‘’Wasted Life’’ and ‘’I Know You’re Lonely’’ I do not find very memorable. ‘’Theatre Of The Mind’’ is a great track but I expected it to be a little bit more explosive.
Line-Up:
Jack Svendsen – Guitar
René Hjelm – Bass/vocals
Mike Svendsen – Drums
Write a comment