DOOMSDAY OUTLAW – ‘DAMAGED GOODS’ (Republic Of Music) BLUES ROCK

Doomsday Outlaw sound like they should come straight out of Atlanta, or the Bayou or somewhere steeped in the musical history of Southern Rock, Blues Rock, and good ol’ Rawk ‘n’ Roll, but no, the band are based here in Blighty, and could not be more British, hailing in fact from ‘Steeltown’. Think ‘70’s Rolling Stones, Black Crowes, Havana Black, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cry Of Love, The Faces, Bad Company, The Georgia Satellites, and Little Caesar, all blended into a smooth oak-smoked sour mash, and you will have a verry good idea about where the quintet are coming from sonically, it’s good … it’s all good!

Now three albums into their career, and the band has never sounded more powerful or focussed, they marry crunching riffs to swaggering grooves, and bluesy soulful vocals, and the end result is nothing short of mesmerising. Vocalist Phil has a gorgeous voice that reminds me of Ron Young of Little Caesar, such is the passion and tone of his golden throat – he has total star quality that simply cannot be denied.

Guitarists Alez and Rowan have a wonderfully tight but loose quality, funnily enough, I’m reminded of Slash & Izzy of Guns ‘n’ Roses at their most relaxed – which I guess is a pretty huge compliment in itself. The rhythm section of bass guitarist Indy and drummer Nic lay down a glorious backbeat that simply grooves without being overly fussy or too dramatic … everything just works exactly as it should.

Providing luscious keyboards throughout is (unofficial sixth member) Ryan, whose warm melodies counterpoint the guitars to perfection. Ryan has also been on the road with the band of late, and he truly deserves to be noticed in his own right, and he adds real richness and depth to the band’s already hugely impressive sound. Surely full membership cannot be far away for this talented keyboardist?

This time around, the band ensconced themselves at the Vale Studios with producers Chris D’adda and Dave Draper who have simply understood how to wring every last perfect musical nuance out of their charges, and have given them a huge yet uncluttered sound, that showcases the band’s talent to perfection. From this session came twelve perfectly honed organically movin’ ‘n’ groovin’ cuts that highlight just what an undeniable and unstoppable force the band has now become.

Doomsday Outlaw’s music is nothing short of anthemic, every song comes with a huge chorus that guarantees you will sing along loudly and lustily, no young band should sound this assured and world beating, but somehow, these Sheffield lads just make it sound so easy! From the opening bars of ‘The Little Things’, through to the dreamy alternate take of that same song – that ends the album, the quality never slips for even a second.

Highlights include this simply wonderful ‘Nowhere Left To Hide’, the pristine and elegant ‘If This Is The End’ (which I genuinely adore), and the naggingly insistent ‘It Never Gets Old’ – which is very simply the best song Little Caesar never wrote! Doomsday Outlaw are going straight to the top, they have that magical chemistry’ that makes them a force of nature. ‘Damaged Goods’ will easily vie for my album oof the year for 2023 – music very simply does not get better than this! Breath-taking!