Consider four-piece hard rock bands of the 1970s — Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, for example. These groups were built around a collective sensibility, sustained by a tight backline, crunchy, indelible guitar work, and a charismatic lead singer. The chemistry, the hooks, the looks, and the overall vibe of those bands and others like them — it’s all ingrained in a uncompromising formula difficult to replicate. And oh, how others have tried. In recent years, Rival Sons and Greta Van Fleet have reintroduced the classic hard rock four-piece band — singer, guitarist, bassist, and drummer — to the mainstream with fairly successful results. Now it’s Dirty Honey’s turn to refine the process and kick it up a notch.
Coming out of Los Angeles, Dirty Honey are aiming to break out big in 2020. They’ve been idling for the past couple years, paying their dues, mining their chops, writing, recording, touring, opening up for major artists, reaping praise, doing whatever they can to get the word out and move up the ladder. This is the grassroots route bands used to take, and it’s relatively the same now, with the added burden of having to establish an online presence to scoop up substantial numbers of “Views,” “Likes,” “Fans,” “Streams,” “Clicks” and “Impressions”. So far, the group has made a sizable dent in the rock and roll community. They’ve opened for Guns ‘N Roses and the Who, and embraced the festival circuit. Now, with a five-song, self-titled, self-released debut EP recorded in Australia and a cover of Aerosmith’s “Last Child” featured on Amazon Music, Dirty Honey are positioned and poised to take that next step toward immortality.
Tracking through the five-song EP, you’ll automatically pick up on the tidy arrangements, punchy riffs, and well-honed, assertive vocals. Out of the gate, “When I’m Gone” sets the tone with a grinding entrance and a catchy chorus that’s obvious enough to reveal the song as the EP’s initial single and video. Even better, “Rolling 7s” builds on an silky blues riff (enhanced by a surreal and sultry video, currently trending by “Views” into the seven figures on YouTube) that broadens the band’s palette. Singer Marc LaBelle exudes the right balance of attitude and heavy breathing — his scratchy yet subtle voice reminiscent of Robert Plant and Steven Tyler with a hint of Tesla’s Jeff Keith.
Guitarist John Notto does a lot of the heavy lifting, pirouetting from crunchy rhythms to bursts of riveting, economic solos soundly embedded into each song’s framework. He starts the fire that drives “Heartbreaker,” and “Break You,” and shifts and shapes “Scars” into an astonishing and powerful piece. With bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Corey Coverstone in his corner, there’s no envelope Notto’s afraid to push. As a unit, Dirty Honey are not reinventing the form; they’re merely harnessing its best elements with a fresh perspective. Who can say if they’ll enjoy the fame, fruits, and prestige of their predecessors. For now, Dirty Honey is transforming the mindset of the millennial generation and returning the four-piece hard rock band back to its rightful reign.
~ Shawn Perry
