Collateral

Very much a part of the new rock scene, Collateral have definite hooks into bands such as Bon Jovi, The Calling or Little Angels but I found that their power playing has all the best elements of Europe as well.

The combination of Angelo Tristan’s vocals against Todd Winger’s strident guitar playing is as good as anyone around at the moment and the engine room of Jack Bentley (bass) and Ben Atkinson (drums) provides a really solid base for the songs to leap forward from.

The four tracks here seem to take in some powerful elements as well as a timeworn quality to the vocals that sets off against the vitality and pizzazz of the playing.

Right from the off ‘Going With The Wind’ screams passion with screaming guitar and a heavy drum beat but there is a more sensitive edge to it and the song combines the strut of a young man going off on his own but the sadness over leaving the rest behind.
‘Midnight Queen’ has very strong echoes to the nineties but then ‘Angels Crying’ with its strong melodic touch and beautiful riffs comes out as a timeless passion piece.

My personal favourite is ‘Just Waiting For You’ for the melody, pace and variations in intensity. A classic rock piece especially when they break out into a ballsout metal finale.

A lot of potential here and I’d love to see where they progress from here, in the meantime this is a terrific introduction.