Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the debut single from Cleveland-based band, Burning River. Ignition was released on March 31st, 2023.
Burning River are Stanley Piecuch; drums, Nicholas Lattanzio; bass, Keith Altman; vocals, and Joseph Hozian; guitar. Together they have created a nostalgic-leaning rock band which takes influences from all of everyone’s favourite classic rock musicians. You can clearly hear Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix influences in their playing and writing styles. We also noticed a big similarity to Black Crowes. Fans of Pearl Jam would also be drawn to this music for sure.
Ignition is a track which was written as a response to the oversaturation of modern music. The band felt that Classic Rock has taken a back seat in mainstream music of late and with this single, they hope to bring this much-loved genre back to the forefront.
The song starts with a powerful onslaught of 70s rock-style full-band sound. You cannot help but be swept up in the excitement. A repeated riff builds and then brings the track to a complete stop before bursting into an exciting guitar solo.
The track makes superb use of stops, giving the drummer plenty of time to shine and win the audience over, followed by some stops where the guitarist is given his chance to impress. The rise and fall and dynamic landscape in Ignition is exciting and energetic. The track grips the listener every step of the way.
Vocally, we were hugely impressed with Altman’s voice: a powerful belt that cuts through the track perfectly. His ability to hold long notes with power and conviction and his very last note blew us away; the vibrato and control are exemplary.
Everything about this track gives the impression of seasoned musicians who have just been waiting to burst onto the scene. Ignition is an exhilarating ride of classic rock that would sit beautifully on a playlist alongside Black Crowes, Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin.
Ideas from our ears
A boost around 300Hz and another wider boost around 9kHz would add a touch of extra thickness to the low mids and some more brightness in the top end. Also, the track sounds slightly weighted to the right. An extra 2-3dB of gain on the left side only should balance it out. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Burning River’s debut single is right up our street! Superb musicianship and a retro 70s classic rock with a classic sound. We are very excited to hear what happens next for this talented Ohio band.
https://www.burningriverofficial.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0MW2FIHo3DobSG4IIgvwD7
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCQ5Yihew6JLiCiK-MktlP2w
https://www.instagram.com/burningriverofficial/?igshid=1n1ivwj4tqw2s