Collateral are one of those bands that just seems to have exploded from out of nowhere. Certainly they fit with the Classic Rock Renaissance that seems to be happening, their carefully tailored look a snapshot straight off the Sunset Strip, but it’s the music that’s the key and a decent photo shoot did not get the band on stage at Hard Rock Hell’s private VIP party. 4 Shots, the band’s debut offering, is a chance, finally, for people to figure out what all the fuss is about. Recorded and mixed by Sean Kenny at Ten 21 Studios and mastered by the Grammy-award-winning Robin Shmittz, it’s a short, sharp jolt of emotion-fueled hard rock that looks set to bring Collateral to a whole new level.
Kicking off with going with the wind, the first thing to note is the band’s deft pairing of acoustic and electric guitar. It’s a sound that Aerosmith used to great effect on living on the edge and it works well, giving the music a warm rich sound that fits the band’s melodic aspirations. Angelo Tristan has a good voice – perfectly suited to the music – and he switches between cleaner tones and a faux-strained rock voice with ease. However, what really stands out on the opening track is the quietly exceptional bass work of Jack Bentley Smith. Bassists often get short-shrift in reviews, but a strong bass line can make a song and his work here adds depth that helps to underpin the wild harmonised solos found at the track’s conclusion. Every rock band needs a good, hard-driving ballad and Midnight Queen is exactly that, drawing on early U2, Bon Jovi and Skid Row to deliver a well-balanced and memorable track complete with soaring lead work. With some nice slide guitar work, Angels crying, as its title suggests, is a more reflective piece that gives Angelo a chance to shine as the verse is stripped down to just acoustic guitar and voice. It leaves the lengthy just waiting for you, a track with a strong guns ‘n’ roses vibe (especially in the glorious solo that leads the listener by the hand into the body of the track), to round the EP out on an emotional and musical high.
Collateral have done a good job of drawing upon a range of Classic Rock and Hard Rock influences to deliver a strong, memorable EP. It’s easy to imagine any of these songs clogging up the airwaves, or at least it would be if the radio still played rock jams, and it’s equally easy to imagine the gargantuan singalong session that the band’s live shows must be. A first-rate introduction to a band of whom I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more in 2019. 8
