*Another review from last year that went unpublished.
Heart On features the best artwork I have seen grace the cover of any album this year. Featuring an expertly manicured woman’s hand (probably one of the ladies from Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to love’ video) crushing a heart that has a red, spiral guitar lead plugged into it, it is a cover that oozes sex and death. Muscle-crushing rock; the epitome of rock n roll; the death of machismo; the music of your heart – there are many connotations to be derived.
Eagles of Death Metal have moved on from their sparse garage-rock shimmies with simple guitars, vocals and drums. Multi-layered rhythm guitars, growling bass guitars and sexy harmonies are all par for the course for this record. With rock legend Josh Homme once again at the helm – producing, mixing, recording and engineering as well as singing, writing and playing drums (and God knows what else), Heart On could easily pass for the naughty, younger sibling to older Queens of the Stone Age release, ‘Era Vulgaris’.
With rife, sexual humour that’s spread cruder and thicker than crunchy peanut butter on a crusty dreadlock, Heart On extracts the essence of (ex QOTSA bassist) Nick Oliveri and ferments it with a love of the ‘80s, new romanticism and glam rock.
Deceptive opener ‘Anything ‘cept the truth’ sets the band up beautifully with buzz-saw ZZ Top styled riffage and inspired licks from guitar heaven before the thick ‘High Voltage’ takes a trip back to the ‘70s, resplendent with glittery wah guitars held together by fuzz bass. The musicianship is solid throughout making this the most coherent EODM record to date.
Riffs and hooks come and go memorably, yet quickly, on the diabolical ‘Secret plans’ before ‘Heart On’, ‘How can a man with so many friends feel so alone’ and, toast to the boogie, ‘Prissy Prancin’ get down with the Rolling Stones on Main Street.
With so many nods to classic artists, most would, and should, buckle under such weight, yet Jesse ‘Boots Electric’ Hughes and Joshua ‘Baby Duck’ Homme use the pressure to their complete advantage.
Some may question the longevity of such a project, but I assure you – cheap thrills have never sounded so good.