Amplified Heat “How Do You Like The Sound Of That”
Album Reviews | Sep 30th, 2007

Record Label: Arclight Records
Genre: Rock
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link
To answer the title of this album, I liked this sound better 30 years ago.
Amplified Heat play 70s-style classic rock with down-key guitars, Bonham-like thumping, and a pace that’s often sludgy. That alone isn’t bad – they have a bluesy, riffy, swamp boogie sound with nostalgic guitar solos and a feel-good cruisin’ in your Camarro, drinking Bud feel.
But the vocals here are too loud in the mix, and the rough and tumble delivery sometime kills the buzz. They’re also simply not interesting, catchy, or even ROCKIN enough to rise above the dated novelty. Because if you’re going to play 70s rock, you’re not competing against similar bands today, but those monsters of rock back then. Sure, these guys are more rockin’ than Fall Out Boy, but they don’t stack up well, or at all, against Blue Oyster Cult.
Faster songs are cool – I like “What Went Wrong” and “Moonshine” – and I like the guitar solos peppered throughout, but overall they offer nothing better than even the most mediocre guitar bands of the 70s (Deep Purple, I’m talking about you). These guys don’t suck, and I agree that the guitar solo is a lost art form (right up there with origami), but even ZZ Top at their worst blow these guys away.
Bottom Line:
Notable Tracks: What Went Wrong, Moonshine, Amplified Boogie
Overall Rating: