
Gentlemen & sexslaves
-- Promise Down --
30/01/2023
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Hard Rock |
■ | heavy metal |
Album artists:
■ | William “Lawson” Debaene | Vocals |
■ | Daniel “Dax” Aertssen | Guitars |
■ | Ronny Clé | Bass |
■ | Marc Peeters | Drums |
Review written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
One band
that has attracted a lot of my attention in the past few years is Promise Down,
it all started when they asked me to review their 2020 debut EP “I Bleed Rock ‘n
Roll,” a short but very enjoyable release (read my review of that EP here: https://www.belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/237).
Since then, I’ve seen Promise Down live quite a few times and each time they
managed to play a very entertaining gig. In late 2022 the band released their
first full-length called “Struck By First Light,” let’s see if they can strike
even harder this time around.
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“Struck By
First Light” is the debut album of the Belgian hard rock/heavy metal/speed
metal act Promise Down and is released via the Belgian record label Hell (run
by the same people who own the Hell bar in Diest). The album kicks off with “4
Beers Please,” a fast and juicy tune with a catchy chorus as well as energetic
guitars and drums. A more than solid opener to this album.
Next up is “No
Time to Die,” which, aside from another catchy chorus, is a track that feels
slower, longer and more repetitive. Too bad, but fortunately the follow-up “Forget
Your Misery” adds some variety to Promise Down’s sound with a slow but moody middle
section wherein vocalist William’s voice goes slower, heavier and sleazier for
a bit until the guitar solo kicks in.
The speed
kicks in again with the title track of “Struck By First Light.” A shorter tune
this one is and for the moment, I believe Promise Down shines the best with
short and effective tracks like this one, with the drums slamming fast, supported
by hard-hitting bass, upbeat guitars and powerfully clean single and
multi-vocals. Speaking of bass, that 4-string sweety gets a lot of loving in
the next track, “Sexslave.” A song with a juicy bass jam and sleazy vocals that
gradually build up towards the chorus “climax.” The sexual testosterone from
the previous track turns into aggressive testosterone in the next song, “None”
which is dominated by fast and hectic guitar riffs, really pumping up the
speed.
Things gets
a bit more bluesy with the next tune “Threading The Needle,” not a very memorable
track to be honest, but I did like the drum solo and fast jamming section that
starts in a later part of the song (specifically around the 2:37 minute mark).
A rather unique track on this “Struck By First Light” album is its 9th
track, called “Where Are You?” It’s a song that blends the mellowness of a rock
ballad (the narrator hearing that his brother has passed away) and suddenly transitions
into an hopeful Iron Maiden gallop (the narrator firmly believing that he’ll be
meeting his brother again in the afterlife) with another very catchy chorus.
Next up is “Bad
Girl,” a song that begins with a creepy girl’s monologue threating to kill the
listener if she isn’t set free. The song itself, however, makes the girl appear
to be a meanspirited by overall not very harmful girl. I really enjoy the very
gradual buildup of the follow track, called “Speed Racer.” It starts off with slow
but hard-hitting guitars, slowly but surely picking speed until ending at a
frantic pace. The penultimate track, “Love/Hate,” has some serious Mötley Crüe
vibes and the final track, “The Gentleman’s Way” has power chords that
instantly remind me of AC/DC.
After going
to all those tracks, I can safely say that Promise Down’s style hasn’t changed
much compared in this album to their earlier EP. The band has taken a lot of
elements from acts like Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, AC/DC and for the most part,
the tracks on this “Struck By First Light” album provide a lot of uncompromising
rock n’ roll fun. The rhythmic drums, the high emphasis on bass, combined with
the melodic guitars, many solos and snarly vocals all make for a really tasty mix
of hard & blues rock on the one hand and heavy & speed metal on the
other.
The one major
flaw I find in “Struck By First Light” is the production. While the band plays
with high intensity and conviction, the overall mixing still lacks some necessary
sonic power which does make the band sound less impactful than when they’re
performing live (and trust me, they’re quite an engaging live act). Now, to be
fair, the production values on “Struck By First Light” are already significantly
better compared to the “I Bleed Rock N’ Roll” EP but still, I believe the band
can sound ever more intense on record. And finally, I felt the album to be a
bit too long with certain songs I think could’ve been left on the cutting room
floor (I’ll be mentioning them in more detail in the appropriate chapter of
this review).

[SHREDDING
VISION]
The artwork
of “Struck By First Light” features Promise Down’s frontman William getting
thunderstruck by several lightning bolts. Not that it hurts him, on the contrary,
he seems to genuinely love it. Maybe he’s Thor or Zeus disguised as a human
rock n’ roll vocalist. Who knows? Nice artwork overall, but I do wish the other
band members were on the picture too, maybe as beings of lightning who strike
down their own frontman straight from the heavens.
As for the
themes on “Struck By First Light,” well, we’re dealing with an old-school rock
n’ roll band so the topics are old-school rock n’ roll as well. So you’ve got
songs about drinking beer, the thin line between love and hate, freely riding
around on motorcycles and of course, sex!
[SHARPEST
SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
Since we’re
dealing with a 12-track album here (full tracks that is, no intros, interludes
or outros) there are once again multiple tracks that I consider as either the
strongest or weakest tunes on this particular release. And I consider this
album’s heaviest hitters to be “4 Beers Please” (starting your album with a
great opener instantly makes it a favorite on my list), “Sexslave” (I love that
bass), “Where are you” (a ballad combined with Maiden-esque gallops, it works!)
and the album’s title track (a short but great track that beautifully showcases
Promise Down’s strengths).
The weakest
songs for me were “No Time To Die” and “Threading The Needle.” Both were among
the slower tracks on this Promise Down album and both weren’t very memorable,
hell, I won’t even miss them if they were cut out from the album completely.
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
7,5 gentlemen
slaves out of 10. Half a point less than the “I Bleed Rock N Roll” EP but that’s
because this “Struck By First Light” album has some filler tracks while the aforementioned
EP was a rollercoaster from beginning to end.
That being
said, Promise Down’s new album is a worthy successor to their enjoyable debut
EP. And although the production could still be a bit better and there were a
few songs that could’ve been left out, when Promise Down hits it, they hit it
hard. If you’re looking for a well-cooked throwback to the tunes of Motörhead
or AC/DC then go check these guys out!