Overall, I was underwhelmed by what was presented here. Q5 don’t really have an identity anymore. If you were to slap this up on a metal radio station as a ‘blind listen’, people wouldn’t have a clue.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Q5
ALBUM: New World Order
LABEL: Frontiers
SERIAL: FRCD 743
YEAR: 2016
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Jonathan Scott K – lead and backing vocals * Rick Pierce – guitars * Dennis Turner – guitars, backing vocals * Evan Sheeley – bass, backing vocals * Jeffrey McCormack – drums, percussion, backing vocals
TRACK LISTING: 01 We Came Here To Rock * 02 One Night In Hellas * 03 The Right Way * 04 New World Order * 05 Tear Up The Night * 06 Halfway To Hell * 07 A Prisoner Of Mind * 08 Unrequited (A Woman Of Darkness And Steel) * 09 Just One Kiss * 10 Fear Is The Killer * 11 Land Of The Setting Sun * 12 A Warrior’s Song * 13 Mach Opus 206 (Instrumental) * 14 Get Next To You (Bonus)
RATING: 70/100
WEBLINKS: Q5 Facebook Page
Q5 lBackground
Q5 were part of the mid 80’s Seattle scene. They included at one stage, a guitarist called Floyd Rose. He was the inventor of the Floyd Rose Tremolo locking system for guitars. Of course all of you knew that!
Q5 were a key component of the Seattle hard rock scene back in the day. Their 1984 LP ‘Steel The Light’ (with that fancy bit of sci-fi artwork) got a licensing deal with British label Music For Nations in 1985. This is probably how many people got their hands on it outside of the USA.
The band were plagued by record label nonsense for the second LP: 1986’s ‘When The Mirror Cracks’. You can read about it elsewhere on this site.
So surprise decades later when news filtered through that Q5 were resurfacing, and so here it is: ‘New World Order’. It features original members Jonathan K, Rick Pierce and Evan Sheeley.
You could also factor in drummer Jeff McCormack who was part of Q5 Part 2: Nightshade.
The Songs
Not really keen on the album title. Too much of George H Bush filtering through there. That phrase should be expunged from popular media.
What about the 2016 Q5 sound? Well, if you like Krokus or AC/DC, then this will appeal. Along with Swiss faves The Order, Q5 have got the doppelganger thing down pat.
Which is a shame, as I was hoping for more of what their past discography offered.. I’m sorry to say for singer Jonathan K, the world did not need another Marc Storace clone.
As soon as ‘We Came To Rock’ gets going, this comparison becomes immediate. It’s even more obvious on ‘The Right Way’. This one could be belted out across Australian beer-barns and drunken punters would be none the wiser!
‘Tear Up The Night’ is fast paced, again The Order springs to mind. The mid-paced ‘A Prisoner Of Mind’ didn’t quite capture my imagination, while ‘Fear Is The Killer’ is the fastest track on offer.
Thankfully there is some respite. The title track does sound like Q5 from years gone by. Much better. You can add ‘Unrequited’ to this list too.
In Summary
Overall, I was underwhelmed by what was presented here. Q5 don’t really have an identity anymore. If you were to slap this up on a metal radio station as a ‘blind listen’, people wouldn’t have a clue.
Perhaps the first few tracks people might say Krokus, which is not a good thing, and not what Q5 should be aiming for.
As I sign off, I’ll add by saying the musicianship is pretty good, so no problems there. And I’ll give kudos to Frontiers for giving old-school punters like myself a five-second thrill.
Q5 on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
