Thirty years is a long time in any trade but in the topsy turvy world of rock n’ roll, it’s an eternity. Yet, three decades have elapsed since Piledriver formed as a Status Quo tribute act and from that small embryo they’ve evolved into a band known for their original tunes, albeit one who never lost their love for the Frantic Four. The band celebrate their pearl anniversary in the best possible way, namely with a new studio album titled First Nations Rock, a record that finds the band celebrating the past whilst simultaneously marching boldly towards the future.

Some music immediately grabs you by the lapels and gives a good shake and that’s certainly the case with opening shot ‘Light Years From Here’. With a guitar motif and riff combining to great effect, Piledriver get straight down to business and deliver that kind of classic rock they do so well. Powered forth by a solid rhythm section and the kind of riff you wish AC/DC would still write, this quintet are playing with the kind of energy you’d expect from a band in their infancy, not in their thirtieth year. However, there’s no denying that Piledriver are playing with wise heads and they rein that groove in, ensuring that they hit that sweet spot for four heavenly minutes. It means that when the following ‘Ridin’’ kicks in, it kicks in hard; it’s a high-octane rocker that finds the band opening up the throttle to give the listener a thrilling pillion ride. Hold on tight because Piledriver are crashing through the gears and taking the corners at breakneck speed. It’s a song that encapsulates all that’s great about ballsy rock n’ roll from the speaker-smoking riffs to the pounding drums via the revving engine, it’s a song that pushes all the needles firmly in the red and bottles some of the excitement of a thrilling ride.

The great thing about Piledriver is that they are not the type of band to tear up their roots. While it is undeniable that the band are formulating their own sound, you can still hear their influences and the likes of ‘We Will Be Rockin’’ and the majestic title-track swing with that four-on-the-floor groove that characterised classic Quo, yet Piledriver are no copyists and inspirations such as Deep Purple, AC/DC and Van Halen are merely that; springboards towards something new. The solo that’s centrifugal to ‘Another Treason’ has more than a touch of The Faces: it’s classic rock, only repurposed for the new millennium and that places First Nations Rock and songs such as ‘Fire!’ firmly in the present.

Clocking in at just at under an hour, First Nations Rock veers into double album length (indeed, it’s released as double vinyl, and with an extra track) and the sequencing takes this into account. While high octane rockers form the majority of this record, the band throw in a few power ballads (such as the achingly beautiful ‘There Comes A Time’). Not only does this create contrast, light and shade to make the more raucous numbers all the more rowdy, it ensures that First Nations Rock flows like an old school album, taking the listener on a musical journey that ebbs and flows, hitting some heady highs whilst also getting low down and dirty. Pulling it all together for epic closer, ‘Shout It Out’ is a song full of soaring guitars, pounding drums and whisky-soaked vocals (in short, everything that makes raunchy rock n’ roll great) that builds towards a huge conclusion and one which suggests there’s much more to come from the crew known as Piledriver.

While various musical fads come and go, there’s a reason why classic rock has stood the test of time and remains impervious to external forces, and if you want to know the answer, it can be found in Piledriver’s latest album First Nations Rock.

• First Nations Rock is released via Rockwall Records on 14th November 2025.
• Piledriver | Facebook | YouTube Channel

Track List:

1. Light Years From Here
2. Ridin’
3. We Will Be Rockin’ On
4. First Nations Rock
5. Another Treason
6. Comin’ Home
7. To The Edge Of The World
8. All Through The Night
9. Fire!
10. There Comes A Time
11. The World’s On Fire
12. I Still Can’t Say Good-Bye
13. Back To Back
14. Shout It Out