Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
It seems like quite a while ago since Rebel frontman Wayne Doyle sat down with Times Radio’s Ed Vaizey to announce the release of their third studio album, Where Colours Meet.
The chartbusters from Llanelli must now look to surpass the high bar they set with 2022’s See Through Blue. That release from two years ago was my album of the year, and even if you’ve only expanded your tastes into the more extreme realms of metal relatively recently, this latest offering will definitely be one of my personal favorites of 2024.
For me, Where Colours Meet is so much more than just the latest material from The Rebel’s production. It is the realisation of an evolutionary process that Darwin would have loved to document.
However, this is not just a rebranding or revamping of an existing edition, but a thorough updating and streamlining into something with many shades, an expansion of what came before. Something very much poised for a push on a trajectory of exaltation and expansion. This is a compact collection of titles that will please the loyal fan base, but with the aim of delivering a ‘sermon’ to the previously unconverted.
Where Colours Meet opens with lead single “Secret Drug”, a number that comes with precision from the highest peaks of their native Wales. Bannau Brycheiniog and Eryri blare straight from the speakers, while Chris “CJ” Jones kicks things off with a lively intro that’s spiced with a dash of The Who. The Doyle brothers, Wayne and drummer Gary and bassist Carl Oag join the burgeoning fray, tipping their hats to Primal Scream and The Cult. While the Rebels’ trademarks are retained, what’s most evident is that the shackles have been broken. With this first astral marker, arenas await.
What follows is a souped-up “Let Me In” in fine form. Originally recorded in 2015 for “Keep Fighting,” the final album from the previous incarnation of the Rebels, V0id. It’s one of two numbers from that album that have been reworked by the Rebels; both are worthy of the treatment and impress me with the heightened opulence. There’s a steely flow here with “Let Me In” that will serve this great track well in the all-important live arena.
With the achingly exquisite line “Where all the different colors met,” the soaring momentum in the absence of an actual title song, “It Was Beautiful” is the worthy recipient of that award. With energetic spurts, this power ballad ebbs and flows with a sense of urgency that rivals that of the greatest tides. It is simultaneously the eagle on wings and the salmon seeking its destination upstream. An object of perfect natural splendor.
When I reviewed the release of the rip-roaring US single “Grace” in mid-May, I gushed (pardon the pun) about the power of music’s best artists to conjure up images. Think Springsteen, Petty and Dylan, and now add Doyle to that list. The song’s relaxed yet optimistic “objet du désir” is born of a daydreamer’s flight, gently floating along with a firm hand. Bearing something of Talking Heads’ classic “And She Was” in that respect, longevity on the biggest stages is guaranteed.
“I’d rather feel hurt than nothing,” Wayne Doyle emotionally expresses on “Declining.” With great nods to fellow countrymen and purveyors of fine arena rock, the Manics and Phonics, it’s deep in its meaning, but somehow also serene in its delivery. A truly geologically scaled survey of the challenging subject of mental health and wellbeing.
Besides my unabashed love for The Rebels, it’s no secret that I dedicate a large part of my musical heart to the soulful tones of Bristol singer Elles Bailey. When these two elements come together beautifully in the dazzling outpourings of “Out of Time,” nothing can stop tears of pure joy from falling. Alongside the two contrasting and intertwining vocals, CJ’s solo is absolutely full of empathy. An absolute tear-jerker that will elicit the warmest of hugs or kisses, depending on which side of the border you’re from.
Tucked away in the middle of the album’s billing is the powerful, biting political commentary of “How Much Is Enough.” Although a conscious decision was made to leave “See Through Blue” as written, it’s in the band’s DNA to make a stirring observation or two about the imbalances between the everyday streets of our cities and the halls of power.
The emotional momentum of “Practice Run,” the second resurfaced V0id track, remains undiminished, evoking the rich feeling that the words always have. It’s noticeably cleaner and has been tightened up a bit, making it a sleek, polished machine with a V8 under the hood that purrs.
When it was released, I described ‘Streets of Fire’ as “a seemingly unlikely hybrid of Paul Weller and Billy Duffy in a patriotic Welsh line-up with a dash of Stuart Adamson thrown in”. I cannot, in my humble opinion, find better words for this fiery song, the poignancy of which has been magnified during these difficult times of social unrest in the UK.
“Who Wants To Be In Love Anyway” gallops along and leads into the stirring, observant and riotous “Divide and Conquer”; a pairing that deftly intertwines and juxtaposes.
There’s an exceptionally good reason why the album’s closer, “My House My Rules,” sounds like a cross between The Almighty and Black Star Riders. The reason? Ricky Warwick, whose sharp pen and wit were brought in. It’s typically uncompromising, standing firmly upright in a beautiful, strong divergence.
Once again, Scarlet Rebels have delivered; an evolution of “See Through Blue”. An evolution that will move into new realms and partially break away from what came before. With NWOCR no longer a relevant genre (how long can a new wave stay new?), this is a timely maneuver that will particularly benefit Scarlet Rebels, and yes, this is my album of the year!
Pre-order album – https://earache.lnk.to/WhereTheColoursMeet
Follow Scarlet Rebels:
Official website: http://www.scarletrebels.com
YouTube: @ScarletRebels
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1gVWb…
Facebook: /scarletrebels
Instagram: /scarletrebelsofficial
Twitter: / Scarlet Rebels
