With influences ranging from Soundgarden to Queens Of The Stoneage, through to Santana and BB King,
The Hunger Pact are setting out to unleash their own brand of British Rock upon the world, packing their music with solid rhythms, driving guitars and captivating vocal lines. United by a mutual love for motorbikes, rock n roll, whiskey, films and coffee, their latest EP,
Cold Woman, is set for release on October 28
th, and promises to truly reveal the true colours of
The Hunger Pact.
Cold Woman is the bands second release this year, having previously released
The Hunger Pact EP in February. With their debut garnering solid support from the underground community, and supporting slots with the likes of Inme and Voodoo Six now under their belts, the Reading based trio are already setting audiences alight with their strong live performances, so what of their most recent release?
As the dark yet melodic opening moments of title track
Cold Woman get things going the EP begins to take shape, drawing on their influences to craft a sound which is unmistakeably British rock, yet with varied hints of those who have influenced the
The Hunger Pact popping up here and there to further deepen the sound. Hauntingly dark from the word go, there’s an almost hypnotic quality to proceedings here, using bass heavy rhythms to fully accentuate the power of the track whilst managing to incorporate enough catchiness to keep the listener satisfied and involved. Progressing naturally into the more straight up rock tones of
Alright, the EP continues to stick to a solid mix of driving guitar lines and evocative vocals to ensure that the continuity flows from track to track. Even going so far as to throw in some soaring lead lines, there doesn’t seem to be any stopping
The Hunger Pact on their drive for recognition.
Closing with
Alone Again the band seem to have saved the heaviest moments for last, closing with a rolling melee of hammering drum lines, solid guitar lines and fast paced vocals. Leaving the EP on a high, the final moments here don’t just finish the EP, they leave the door wide open for what is to follow, showing once and for all that there’s more to
The Hunger Pact than a straight forward, simplistic take on rock n roll, and that providing they stick to their guns, they could well be on track to succeed.
With Brit-rock slowly fading into oblivion it’s a brave move coming out with a record like
Cold Woman, yet
The Hunger Pact have managed to take what many consider to be an over-done genre, and made it their own. It will be very interesting indeed to see what comes next!
Rating: 7/10
-Dave Nicholls