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ROCK JUSTICE “You've Been Served”
ROCK JUSTICE “You've Been Served”
By Colonel Angus
There is a lot of great metal coming out that harkens back to the old sound of when the whole scene was starting out. ROCK JUSTICE is brand new band featuring vocalist Maggy Luyten, guitarist Bas Maas, bassist Nick McGrath and drummer Mischa Aussems. This four piece wastes no time in unleashing eight rockin’ tracks to make up their debut “You’ve Been Served”. Musically, there are times where the sound is more in the hard rock vein but overall, they are clearly a metal outfit that means business.
The record opens with a nice thumping rocker “My Worst Enemy” and right off the bat, Luyten puts in a powerful performance. The verses have this cool moody vibe while the rest of the tune rocks hard with plenty of melody. It reminds me a little of another female fronted group called FEMME FATALE. Continuing with the same tempo, “Rocker’s Confession” sees Luyten adopt a smokier vocal that fits the song perfectly. Both tracks also have those great big choruses that were a staple in 80s metal.
The NWOBHM tinged “You Know Better” has an intro that sounds like early DEF LEPPARD that incorporates a bit more urgency than the first two songs. I did a little research and discovered that the next tune “I Just Wanna Make Love to You” is a cover that was originally done by Etta James and they really “metal” up the track. Luyten’s vocal performance captures that same sultry atmosphere that James put into the original. I normally don’t like cover songs but I have to give ROCK JUSTICE extra points because they not only make it their own but they re-did a track many of us would not know.
Those of you that have read my other reviews know that I’m also not a big fan of ballads but “The Rest of the World” is a really good track. There is some teeth to this tune that has some great epic parts along with the obligatory soaring guitar solo. While not my favorite piece on the album, it is in the top three for “You've Been Served”. “Shape Up or Ship Out” is where the band show their metal side as this is the heaviest the band gets on the record. I would recommend the band include more material in this vein on their next disk because this is hands down the best track here.
They finish the record with a couple of tunes that alternate between hard rock and metal. The track “Chicks Can’t Rock” is more of a basic hard rock tune that has this raw edge that brings AC/DC to mind while “First in Line” (which features Doro Pesch) is more of a straight ahead metal tune that again features a great chorus that is full of hooks and melody. All in all, ROCK JUSTICE have produced roughly thirty minutes of some great tunes that makes for a great debut. Based on all the songs on “You've Been Served”, I see a bright future for the band and I can’t wait for their next release.
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