Originally formed as a solo project by drummer/songwriter Viet Schlembach in 2023, Bad Rain became a band the following year and since then it has been full steam ahead. With band members coming from near and far, Bad Rain have an international flavour and their sound swings as such. From metal to blues, this quintet draw influence from a wide range of sources whilst retaining a strong core of classic rock, and they’ve produced a debut album in Louder Than Words that signposts a bright future.
Some music immediately grabs you by the lapels and gives a good shake, and that’s certainly the case with opening shot ‘High And Above’. With wrecking ball swing it throws its considerable weight around like a heavyweight boxer who is intent on causing maximum carnage. Aided by a full and lustrous production that places great emphasis on the bottom end ‘High And Above’ (and indeed, the whole album) packs a potent punch. Existing in that sweet spot somewhere between rock and metal, Louder Than Words has an effortless crossover appeal and will appeal equally to fans of both. Proving that the opener was no fluke, Bad Rain hit their turbo boosters for the following ‘Room To Breathe’. It’s a blistering brand of rock of rock n’ roll in which the band deal, kind of like AC/DC jamming with Rose Tattoo, and it shoots fireworks in every direction.
Louder Than Words is sequenced like an old school album, and it proves that Bad Rain are no one trick pony. After the histrionics of the first two songs the title-track kicks down a gear to deliver a more moody, measured number. That’s exactly how an album should flow and Louder Than Words lifts the listener to peaks where the air is rarefied one moment, before dropping them down the next. While it is perfectly feasible to dip in and out and enjoying each song individually, it’s a record best consumed in one sitting to fully appreciate all it’s twists and turns. With it’s vast production Louder Than Words is an album that’s hard to ignore (but when the music is this good, why would you want to?) meaning that cuts such as ‘Afterlife’ are very air-guitar inducing, they’re bound to transfer well to the live environment and are sure to create mayhem wherever they are unleashed.
An album that pays homage to the past whilst simultaneously looking towards the future, Bad Ran prove that great music does indeed speak Louder Than Words.
- Louder Than Words is released via Fastball Music on 24th October 2025.
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Track List:
- High And Above
- Room To Breathe
- Louder Than Words
- Chasing The Sun
- Kingdom
- Your Chains
- Afterlife
- Twisted Love
- Heartattack
- Black And Gray
