We’ve certainly been waiting with baited breath for the release of this one! An EP every year so far from the boys in Florence Black. A self-titled one in 2016, followed by EPII and now The Final EP.
This has got to mean the album comes next, right lads?!
But for now…onto this latest release from the three-piece rock band from Merthyr…Tristan on guitar & vocals, Fozzi slapping the bass & Perry smashing the skins.
The first time I saw Florence Black was at the Welsh rock festival Steelhouse in 2017 when Skindred headlined the Saturday night. They were amazing and on returning home, quickly sought out all their tunes and continued to be blown away. What a sound, what passion!
When they started teasing us about new music, we soon found out that it was indeed a collaboration with Benji Webbe from Skindred, and a track called ‘Gunshot’
And what a collaboration it is!! So much of the usual FB power, passion and rage but with added Benji-boost...smashing it already! The next track they gave us, pre-release was, as FB fans will have heard before at the live shows, a Florence Black take on the Budgie classic Breadfan. Metallica?! Pah! Budgie?! Pah.....FB brings it!!..Some sweet solo work from Tristan here and the middle breakdown is just awesome.
And finally, on Final release day we were treated to another video release of the second EP track, The Ride....
Some epic grimy, lowdown, gutsy basslines smacking in straight away on The Ride and I'm loving it already! This has got the potential to be a massive arena singalong and a great anthem for life...
"TAKE ME around the world I wanna see it now
TAKE IN the life, the ride...
TAKE IT go out around and then we’ll bring it down
MAKING your life, the ride..."
So that leaves us with the bread on each side of the sandwich, the fillings we've already tasted and the first piece, the first track, is Change.
Perry gets the ball rolling with the pounding beats on this excellent fast-paced opener! What a start. It'll give any rock music fan a 'fuck yeah', let alone an FB fan. Change is going to be a total banger at the live gigs!! Sublime.....
The Ride swings along in the FB format that we know and love, Breadfan is beyond epic and a welcome cover addition to the EP. The writing talents of both Tristan & Benji give a booming Gunshot collaboration that bangs big heads and stomps big heavy feet and bringing up the rear is Hasta La Vista. Another big banging, singalong track that'll melt your faces and rip out your insides!! 5/5
Florence Black really have an amazing repertoire under their belts now and instead of playing the old rock or AC/DC covers, they can successfully smash out a brilliant show of their own material and leave the crowd, not only having to pick their brains up off of the floor but going away, singing the songs and wanting more.
I get the feeling this is going to be one heck of a debut album....when it finally comes!
The band are currently on tour with SKAM and have plenty more plans for the future, so keep up to date with all things Florence Black at their webpage, Facebook or Spotify