In 2014 I was lucky enough to get the promo link for a new Australian rock band’s debut album. I was instantly hooked. My horns were up! These hardworking musos hit the road Full Throttle and haven’t eased up since.
Who am I referring to?
The mighty Massive from Melbourne, Australia.
Two years down the highway and these guys, with a slightly revised line up, were heading for Destination Somewhere. From the number of miles they clocked up, they searched long and hard for it.
Another two years on and many many road miles later, following a huge UK and European tour in late 2018, Massive are back with their third studio album, Rebuild Destroy.
Released on 1st Feb via Wrecking Crew Records (worldwide) and Off Yer Rocker (Europe), Rebuild Destroy is not for the faint hearted. If you are of a nervous disposition, not keen on “in your face” riffs” and have weak neck muscles, turn back now. For the rest of you, do yourself a favour, grab a beer, crank up the volume (your neighbours will thank you later) and check this album out.
Rebuild Destroy opens with Generation Riot. This track explodes off the mark and confirms from the outset that Massive are still travelling at Full Throttle. The raw energy that was harnessed in that debut album has been recaptured, fed some raw meat then let loose again.
The current band line up has been tweaked again and I’m not about to say XXX is better than XXX was. All musicians involved are super talented guys (and genuinely nice human beings too). Massive in 2019 though are a well-tuned engine and that shines through in every one of the eleven tracks on Rebuild Destroy.
I’m not about to dissect this album track by track. I’m a rock fan (a Massive fan) and not a musician.
If you love good honest, high energy, riff laden, Aussie rock music, you’re going to love Rebuild Destroy.
There’s a maturity to this album though and Massive have built on the strengths of their first two albums. This isn’t Full Throttle part two or Destination Somewhere continued. Rebuild Destroy reinforces Massive’s rock roots but the blues influences are still present in tracks like Bullet and Face In The Crowd.
Roses, the first single from the album, has also been carefully crafted and has all the key ingredients required to be both a radio and live favourite (Live it’s awesome – trust me!).
Massive almost pay homage to their Aussie influences (think Rose Tattoo, ACDC, Electric Mary and Airborne) with tracks such as Pieces.
And like all classic rock albums, there’s a beautiful ballad there too. Album closer A Mile In My Shoes is sung straight from the heart. It’s raw, emotional, sultry and I love it (maybe not quite as much as Ghost, Brad, but I love it)
Massive are a force to be reckoned with. The drive, the passion, the dedication and the desire to succeed that Messrs Marr, Laguda, Carmichael and Greentree display is impressive to say the least. Massive deserve to be just that and Rebuild Destroy surely paves the way to greater things for these boys.
Don’t believe me? Check them out for yourselves. You can thank me for the introduction later.
10/10
You can check out Roses here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58lRBAAJU4M
And you can keep track of the boys here:
www.massiveoz.com
www.facebook.com/massiveoz
www.twitter.com/massiveoz
the525toglasgow 