Thrilldriver – “Sacha” [EP] [Album Review]

Blimey, this takes me back! I’m reading the bumph on New York hard-rockers Thrilldriver and see names like “Bitzy Slapback” and “Earl Necklace,” which takes me right back to the days when the hard rock scene was overrun with Rikkis and Roxxies and enough hairspray in one band to burn a hole in the ozone layer the size of Toronto. Still, the hairspray may be gone and the outfits toned down since the ’80s but, listening to Sacha, the new EP from New York rockers Thrilldriver, their heart is clearly still with the ’80s hard rock scene.

Sacha is six tracks of Van Halen-inspired hard rock which, if you’re yearning for the days of Eddie Van Halen and Co at their finest, Thrilldriver will do a damn fine job of providing you with a similar hard rock fix. Thankfully though, while the names might take you back to the ’80s when hair metal was at its most OTT, Thrilldriver have ditched that tongue-in-cheek element of the genre meaning tracks like “Vicious” and “When It Rains” might certainly sound like they belong in a sleazy rock bar in Hollywood, but the full Thrilldriver package acts, looks and sounds a lot classier than that.

Track Listing:

01. Set This Thing Alight
02. Vicious
03. Madeline
04. Radwagon
05. When It Rains
06. Shadowman IV

Run Time: 55:27
Release Date: September 4, 2015

Check out the song “Vicious” here.