The Virginmarys (CORRECT)
Album: Kings Of Conflict
Label: Doublecross
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.thevirginmarys.com/

Monster riffs cut from the ether, vocals gargled with razor blades, a bassist that's loaded with grease and drums wrought from sweat and steel, The Virginmarys come not to play - they come, if you'll pardon the slip into cliché, to rawk. If you have fond memories of Jets first album and frequently find yourself turning to prime period Stones with occasional detours to revisit Oasis at their Rock & Roll Star zenith, then you'll find much to commend this debut offering.

Much as they sound like they arrived on dust storm from out of the depth of the Mojave Desert, The Virginmarys are, in fact, from Macclesfield. Every now and then singer/guitarist Ally Dickaty betrays those proud roots - not least in his pronunciation of a certain Anglo Saxon expletive in Out Of Mind, which with its heart-skipped pulse and dirty overdriven Gibson raunch is as good an introduction to this heavy gigging power trio as any.

Actually, scratch that, Out Of Mind pauses for breath to allow Dickaty to flirt with a quick Matt Bellamy impression, before resuming normal service and shredding his vocal chords on the outro. Like a northern QOTSA, The Virginmarys make a virtue of hard work and harder living. Relentless gigging with all kinds of acts (Reverend & the Markers, Feeder, Eagles of Death Metal) has clearly honed their playing to within an inch of perfection - no band gets this tight without a lot of hard work.

What's lacking (as is often the case) is a fully dynamic palette of musical and lyrical shades to use in the songwriting. If it comes, The Virgnmarys might one day rival The Black Keys. Worth keeping an eye on then.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk