About fifty years ago, the term “supergroup” was coined to describe “a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups.” In all those many years, we have seen some stay but mostly go falling into the black void of music industry nothingness. The metal and rock community has seen a ton of acts like this, such as Temple Of The Dog, Mad Season, A Perfect Circle, Audioslave, Velvet Revolver and Hellyeah (naming only a very select few) just over the last twenty years. As of two years ago, we can add Black River to that ever expanding and bloated list. Having released a self-titled album back in 2008, this band of Polish hell raisers are back with their newest outing of hip-shakin’, bar-brawling, southern fried metal titled Black ‘N’ Roll. Featuring members of Rootwater, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth and Neolithic, this should be without a doubt one of the most interesting albums released this year right. Right?

“Barf Bag” gets happy hour started with its whiskey fueled guitar crunch loaded with down-home dirty swagger. This is not a sound that is new or groundbreaking by any means, but still holds a special place in my heart. Combining the sound of band’s like Blackshine, The Cult, Mental Hippie Blood, Danzig and even newer Soil, Black River by all means pack a pretty substantial punch. With that being said, Maciek Taff’s (Rootwater) mundane vocals really drag Black ‘N’ Roll to a near halt. The key to this type of music is a strong frontman that commands the songs, really grabbing the listener’s attention. Taff’s vocal approach is fine, it’s just the execution (or lack thereof) that is ultimately missing.

Black River’s biggest flaws are their frontman and totally unimaginative songwriting. I know this music is supposed to be simple and that is fine, but only to a certain extent. I will never complain about the “keep it simple, stupid” motto. Some of the best songs in the universe have also been some of the most formulaic. The key is to catch the listener’s ear with that “certain something” and this is where Black River falls short. “Isabel”, “Breaking The Wall”, “Loaded Weapon”, “Morphine” and “Young ‘N’ Drunk” all have portions where your ears perk up, but only for just a second or two. “Isabel” is a punk influenced “rawker” that comes off monotonous and uninteresting at its best. Even with its up-tempo approach, the song feels tired and stale. Taff tries his best to keep up, but fails miserably. I found little things like the intro to “Morphine” to be complete turnoffs. If you’re a fan of Danzig’s phenomenal track “Mother”, you might find this one somewhat appealing. Taff’s vocals are all over the place, summoning the voices of A.J. Cavalier (ex-Soil, Diesel Machine), Glenn Danzig and Ian Astbury (The Cult) to create one giant mess. Musically the song is long and drawn out, never really finding its place on the record.

Black ‘N’ Roll at its core does feature a couple of songs that might get your head bobbing, though not for the duration. Tracks like “Lucky In Hell”, “Too Far Away” and “Like A Bitch” all have a great groove that are worth mentioning. “Lucky In Hell” adds a ton of muscle with its stomping drums, ripping guitar licks and simple vocal approach. This is the range that I would liked to have seen Taff stay in throughout the album, but sadly he doesn’t. Blasting through your eardrums comes “Too Far Away” with its certain charismatic charm. The simplistic drums fit perfectly with The Cult influenced axe work courtesy of Piotr “Kay” Wtulich (Neolithic) and Artur “Art.” Kempa. “Like A Bitch” completely explodes with its Blackshine-style riffs and fist pumping grooves.

Black ‘N’ Roll is filled to the brim with annoying vocals, dull chops and flat out boring songs. Black River are a bunch of very talented musicians who got together one day and said, “Hey, let’s make a simple rock record that even your tattooed, beer drinkin’ grandma can enjoy.” Unfortunately for them, Grandma could care less and so could I.

2.0/5