Matt Long and the Revenant Ones – The Other Side
Release Date: 16th July 2021
Label: Self Released
Pre-Order
Genre: Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Grunge.
FFO: Black Stone Cherry, Rival Sons, Alter Bridge, Black Country Communion.
Review By: Paul Franklin
Having already achieved a stellar reputation as frontman with award-winning British blues band Catfish, Matt Long wanted to disprove the adage that men can’t multi-task, so formed a new band to allow him to flex his rockier muscles with some hefty riff-based material.
Hefty is the right word. Matt and his Revenant Ones (critically acclaimed drummer Kev Hickman and fellow Catfish Adam Pyke on bass) take great satisfaction in bear hugging you with the kind of big, burly rock that is championed by bands like Black Stone Cherry. Indeed, the solid pounding of Stone Bones and Feel Like a Saint are easily up there with anything on the Kentucky stalwarts last album.
So, the opening track, So. Here the band decide to blatantly ignore the perceived wisdom that advises not putting all one’s eggs in one basket and use the 6-minute track as a showcase for the band manifesto. Opening with some distorted feedback, we get some excellent heavy blues rock that highlights both the band’s musicianship and Matt’s powerful voice. The mid song break sees the heaviness lift for an acoustic passage that displays a more delicate side to the vocals, before some low-slung bass precedes Matt unleashing a searing solo, mercilessly wringing the notes from the neck of his guitar like a particularly vicious chicken farmer on a tight deadline.
Have My Say struts onto the scene with a cocky arrogance and the swagger of Danko Jones at his obnoxious best, whilst Take It All lightens the load a little with a bit more of a pop sensibility. Dark and Lonely Room is the token ‘slow’ number where again Matt gets to show his emotive side, unfortunately it comes across a little generic. How many times has the ‘dark room’ metaphor been used in rock music? Also, if you didn’t spot the heavy guitars that come crashing in halfway through, you really haven’t listened to enough music.
The other track that stands out is With My Own Eyes. Taken on its own it’s a great track, grungy, dense and brooding with some deep and dark lyrical themes. There is more than a hint of the druggy, swirling soundscapes of AIC’s Dirt, and that is what makes it stand out. If you were to take this collection of songs as that, a collection of individual songs independent from each other then not a problem. It shows that the band are not a one trick pony and can address serious issues with their music. It becomes a bit more of an issue though when viewing the songs in the context of a coherent whole. It just doesn’t quite fit with the feel of the rest of the album. Especially when you consider that it is sandwiched between the aforementioned chest-thumping Feel Like a Saint and the rutting sexuality of Wild Animal, which sounds like the aftermath of detonating a Coke bomb in a Mentos factory!
It seems to have become a custom to end albums, particularly debut ones, with a long epic (we’re talking 8 mins plus), and here that custom is upheld by Across The Borderline. A more mid-paced bluesy number with some superb guitar action in the later half, but one that you feel could maybe have had a couple of minutes chopped off to no great detriment.
In conclusion, The Other Side is a top-quality hard rock album by a very talented trio that you should definitely check out if you’re a fan of Black Stone Cherry and their ilk. 
(4 / 5)
