Early Risers – Soldiers of Fortune (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Soldiers of Fortune was created to be an anti-band, one that was against the disciplined routines and rules that bands appear to have to adhere to get anywhere. The plan was not to practice, record a record, hit the road or even write a song, the most they aimed for was to be able to play a rare show relying on instinct and band chemistry to assault the public at large. But with the death f guitarist Marc Moore and requests by intrigued fans to find out what was going on in the SOF camp, live shows and studio sessions crept into the picture, a suitable record label was found and a more conventional modus operandi took shape.

Early Risers is the first full-length release and is an uncompromising slab of chaotic freak-rock and heavy blues. This album sounds like a long lost garage band from the late 60’s, a forgotten chapter in the early story of musicians who went on to be household names. From the relentless proto-punk thrash of Nails to the spoken word groove-blues of Santa Monica; it covers a lot of musical territory. From Jon Spencer style punk blues to seminal Zeppelin-esque rock crusades, add a few heavy psychedelic wig outs and plenty of testosterone fuelled, speed freak rock and you sort of have the four corners of their musical shape. If you want to know how they colour that shape in, you are just going to have to listen to the album, trust me you really should.