.png)
Hailing from Cape Fear in North Carolina, rock quartet Open Wire are on a mission to make 2023 a year to remember with their brand new album, SilverTongue which came out on 30th August 2023.
Consisting of 8 tracks this is a record which has the makings of everything you could ever dream of for the perfect rock and roll album in your music collection. High octane energy, lyrics and songwriting on another level and some serious lessons in the true art of rock and roll. You can really tell with this album that all four members have really added their stamp and identity to this album, and while on one hand this is my first encounter with open wire, on the other listening to SilverTongue I feel like I have known them for a long time.
The album itself speaks for itself, so for me to even say it is brilliant would be an understatement, because it is type of record where from start to finish your excitement levels are constantly going through the roof where by the end your on a permanent high living your best life ever thanks to an album which makes you want to go full throttle and create a mosh pit in the middle of the room!
I usually like to pick out a few recommendations when introducing all of our readers to new music, and with SilverTongue because the entirety on this record was on another level, it felt like the impossible task of a parent trying to pick their favourite child, because they were all so damn incredible in their own individual ways. If I had to pick out a few though especially if like me you like to know best dive into a new album I would naturally start with the opening headline track, SilverTongue.
The song starts off with what I can almost describe like an old school radio transmission like you sometimes see in those old nostalgic war time films, then all of a sudden you hear the heavy energetic chords of the bass guitar and a guitar solo which makes you feel weak at the knees but also makes you want to raise your rock horns in the air. Then the moment the beat drops and the vocals kick in at around the 50 seconds mark, you better be ready because this is where the real fun begins as at the top of my lungs I sang along to the words “Just remember one thing today, I say what I mean, Mean What I Say”. Never mind making those words into a slogan for life, hell would make a good choice for a tattoo too haha.
As opening tracks going, everything about this song has almost instantly made me give Open Wire my full undivided attention. Oh my days, if this is only the first track, can you even imagine what the other 7 tracks are going to be like!
My second go to choice for a Open Wire newbie would be Just Dangerous, the fourth track of the album. My advice for this song would be - I hope your in the mood to get up and mosh, because this is a song that to be truly embraced you need to be rocking it out to your hearts content. It starts fast paced and you even hear the revving of a engine which as random as that might be, actually adds a nice touch. Those vocals kick in once more and again the lyrics just leave you full of smiles because everything is just so relatable.
I like my rock, metal and post hardcore music, and as much as I love a good mosh as any other music fan, I like it when the lyrics are just as much an equal part of a song as all the other components. And well Just Dangerous is a prime example of that good balance which sometimes other albums out there lack.
With me so far? Hopefully my experience of Open Wire and their album SilverTongue is making you wanting for that new record already. Just to help speed up that process though there is one other track I will briefly ask you to keep a lookout for, Devil May Care (Eric’s Jam). This is probably one of the more tame tracks on the record, but it still carries a lot of swagger and still has all the vital elements which constitute the DNA of Open Wire - great vocals, badass beats, and those all important signature guitar solos. The lyrics are actually quite poetic and abstract too when you think about it too, especially lines such as “I’m one with the rising sun, and I don’t need any other; no one, Let’s just say laissez faire, We be living, living devil may care”.
I won’t tell you about the other tracks on the album, because for that your just going to have to go discover those for yourself. I tease with parts of the jigsaw but putting the puzzle together is all up to you haha! What I will comment on though, purely for the reason it played a part in helping catch my attention, is the very cool artwork for the album itself. Everything about it is so cool both on the front as well as the back and really compliments the aesthetic of the record. I think artist Mark Thies really captured the overall vibe of the band and brought it to life even more.
On reflection after listening to the album and all the glory it has to offer, I feel so happy for 2 main reasons - first I have another new favourite band and second it feels I have just experienced an 100% unadulterated live Open Wire show in the form of an album. To be able to take an album, and elevate the experience where it feels like the band are right there in the room with you, is something that doesn’t alway happen every time, so the fact that Open Wire have successfully been able to do this just makes me want to get up, cheer and chant the the words encore.
I will end by simply saying if you have not listened to Open Wire and their new album SilverTongue then you would be a fool not to, because this Cape Fear band are going places with this record, so make sure you don’t miss out!
Stay Connect To Open Wire
Article By Thushara S. Chandrasiri
Comments