It’s a strange anomaly that some of the best Southern rock is currently being produced right here in the UK, and the brightest and best purveyors are undoubtedly Bristol’s Sons Of Liberty. Having already released two critically-acclaimed albums and shared stages with the likes of Grand Slam and Molly Hatchet, it seems that the band are primed to step up to the next level, and their latest album, The Detail Is In The Devil will get them there is style.

The more that the mainstream media denies the existence of rock music, the stronger it gets and there’s a healthy scene bubbling beneath the surface in the UK, just waiting for the spotlight to be turned on it. That the scene is so vibrant is thanks in no small part to band’s such as Sons Of Liberty who’ve put in some serious miles taking their sound around the country, and it’s roadwork that’s left the band gnarled and tight as a drum. It has instilled an unshakeable confidence and that comes shining through on opening track ‘Time To Fly’. Like a bar room brawler sizing up his opponent, it swings with a dangerous groove and makes its presence felt with a potent punch. As introductions go, it’s pretty darn perfect and raises the stakes for the next 40 minutes.

The great thing about Sons Of Liberty is that they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel; The Detail Is In The Devil promises kick-ass Southern rock, and that’s exactly what it serves up. That’s not to say Sons Of Liberty are generic, far from it. There’s plenty of neat ideas on here in terms of guitar and melodic lines, but this is the sound of a band who know they’re onto a good thing and doing what they do best. Take ‘Turn The Tide’ for example, it’s an evocative number that conjures images of warm sand beneath bruise coloured skies and would make the perfect accompaniment to a long road trip and proves the band are equally adept at slower numbers as well as raucous rockers.

The Detail Is In The Devil is satisfying in its flow; it ululates like an old school album and over the eleven tracks the band are constantly shifting gears to ensure things never become staid. Subsequently the effervescent ‘Tertulia Time’ (the type of song you wish Kiss would still write) sits effortlessly next to the thought-provoking ‘Walk With You’, and Sons Of Liberty don’t miss a beat. In fact, such is the life-affirming qualities of cuts like ‘Love What You Got’ that they should really be prescribed on the NHS. This is music that demands a reaction and is the perfect antidote to boredom and lethargy; if you walked into a biker bar on a Saturday night and they were cranking out ‘Libertine’, you’d know you were in for a good time.

Familiar, yet powered by a freshness, it’s easy to understand why Sons Of Liberty have been embraced by fans both young and old, and with new album The Detail Is In The Devil, their army will grow exponentially.

• The Detail Is In The Devil is self-released on 23rd February 2024 and is available here.
• Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X /  YouTube Channel

Track List:

1. Time To Fly
2. Light The Fuse
3. Turn This Tide
4. Tertulia Time
5. Walk With You
6. What’s A Man Supposed To Do
7. Hawk Men Come
8. Love What You Got
9. Libertine
10. I’ve Got The Sky
11. Well’s Run Dry