SOUL DOCTOR – Way Back To The Bone

German Heavy Rock band Soul Doctor have come far through their almost ten year long career. They have delivered quality Blues inspired Heavy Rock since the beginning and have begun to get a lot of attention since their highly acclaimed 2007 release Blood Runs Cold.
In the fall of 2009 they released yet another great album entitled Way Back To The Bone. Fronted by singer Tommy Heart, which you might know from Fair Warning, the band is stronger than ever and will embark on a tour in February and March.

The album kick starts after a short atmospheric intro with the opening song ”First Man On The Moon”. It has a guitar riff that could remind you a bit of the Led Zeppelin song ”Kashmir”. The chorus is a great singalong with catchy hooks. Tommy Heart puts in a great effort on this one, both singing alone and in harmonies. The harmonies that appear in this band are not as sophisticated as the ones that you’ll experience on a Fair Warning album but perhaps that’s the clue about this band; making it simple, and there’s definitely nothing wrong in doing that, ’cause it sounds great. ”First Man On The Moon” is a true example that Soul Doctor follows up their previous album Blood Runs Cold with even more quality Rock N’ Roll.

Following the rocking footsteps of the opener is yet another great song entitled ”Lighting And Thunder”. It is also a sing along featuring cool guitar riffs, great hooks and vocal harmonies. This one has even more attitude than the previous one and will be an anthem the crowd demands at every show.

Third song is a shuffle and the band does not disappoint at all. It flows with hooks, brilliant guitar playing and a catchy refrain. One however cannot put a finger on the piano playing. Is it programmed? It has a total lack of soul and groove and sounds terrible.

The rest of the album follows the same path. However, the greatest songs are the first half of the record. One should not forget to mention track number four ”Love Crashed Down (Boom Boom)”, which is a real kick ass song, or the wonderful power ballad ”Times Of Yesterday”.

The production is very rough and gives it a more feeling of being alive. Yet it would not be the same if the album was overproduced. It’s more true to its genre that way, dirty Rock N’ Roll. Way Back To The Bone is an album that deserves a fair chance, check it out!