RAT ALLEY - The Storm (2013)

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From the ashes of a metal band known as Iron Rage, remaining members John Williams (vocals, guitar) and Mike Fitzgerald (drums) formed RAT ALLEY at the beginning of 1989 in their native Boston, USA.
With the addition of bassist Chris Dahlstedt (ex- Tin Pan Alley), the group toured the Massachusetts area becoming quite popular, opening for major acts like Overkill and T.N.T., while recorded their own songs onto tape.
They were close to sign a deal with Cherrydisk Records, but due to internal troubles the band decided to call it quits in January, 1992.
Rat Alley reunited few years ago for some concerts, and now finally after all these years they're releasing their long delayed album "The Storm".

Rat Alley (the group's name was taken after a notorious alley in Boston where the band often partied) style is quite curious; they blend the nuances of Californian Hard Rock - specially on the choruses - with the typical East US Metal intense riffage so common those days in America.
This mix works for the most part on all the nine tracks included into "The Storm".
The foot-tapping, commercial "Rockin' Romancer" and "The Storm", the bluesy hard rocker "Leave Me Alone" and the dirty "One Way Town" (nice solo) contrast with more metalized, darker tracks such as "Nothin Like You" and "Down And Out", both featuring a strong US Metal imprint surely influenced by the member's previous band.

Rat Alley's "The Storm" is a cool and nice way to taste the rock sound populating the US East Coast twenty five years ago.
The band definitely sounds like a trio - a power trio I'd say - and while most of the tracks are straightforward rockers fueled by pentatonic guitars, all are quite melodic juxtaposing bravado with catchiness. All songs are well recorded and mastered considering its analog source.
Cool stuff.



John M. Williams - Vocals, Guitars
Chris Dahlstedt - Bass, Backing Vocals
Mike Fitzgerald - Drums, Backing Vocals


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itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-storm/id630076274