“When they do hit, they hit hard, but other songs feel disappointingly rote and cliché”: Black Smoke Trigger fall short on debut album Horizons

It’s hard to know where best to place Black Smoke Trigger. A UK tour supporting Bruce Dickinson suggests an inclination towards the heavier side of life, which is certainly reinforced by chunky, fist-pumping riffs, but flirtations with post-grunge radio vapidity open them up to the type of accusations levelled against Nickelback or Creed.

Therein lies the sonic conflict at the heart of this debut album.

The band avail themselves of a range of contemporary influences, sometimes losing their own identity as a result. When they do hit, they hit hard – The Way Down is a titanic headbanger, Proof Of Life has a stomp Godzilla could be proud of. 

But tracks like Psycho and One More Chance (Don’t Let It Sleep Away) feel disappointingly rote and cliché, stalling any sense of momentum and gain made by the album’s far superior tracks.

Black Smoke Trigger’s Horizons is available from the band’s website.