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Album Review : Black Smoke Trigger – Horizons

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Posted on 25th July 2024

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Review by Ritchie Birnie for MPM

Kiwi four piece Black Smoke Trigger do things their own way, they toured Europe before the release of their first album, they release videos that burst 1 million views and set the band up as a visual experience as much as a musical one.

The cynical could say these boys are getting a big push from somewhere but after listening to Horizons I could not give a shit if they sent a mafia hitman to my door forcing me to enjoy it. This album is stunning and needs to be heard and as I always say this has to be a physical purchase and I can promise in future years when you look back at your purchases for 2024 this will be the one you reach for first.

BST came to my attention when they were announced for the Bruce Dickinson tour and I done my due diligence and dove onto youtube to check them out and within a week I had reviewed the incredible “Perfect Torture”.

I have a real soft spot for Kiwi bands due to my huge love for Devilskin but that small Isle is producing the Rock’n’Roll goods these days so lets dive into this diverse offering.

The album opens with “Phantom Pain” and this skates the ice on Grunge which is not my favourite pastime but it veers far closer to Audioslave than the checked shirt depression crowd so I am happy to enjoy it without an ounce of guilt and you can instantly hear why frontman Baldrick gets those Chris Cornell comparisons and even if he doesn’t have a cunning plan (That one is for the UK audience) he knocks it out of the park and Charlie Wallace’s guitar work is astounding.

Drummer Josh Te Maro gets us going on “K.M.T.L” and once this opens up it does not calm down and has the intensity of a 70s Punk song juiced up on amphetamines and Whisky. The intensity does not drop on “The Way Down” but it sure as hell changes. Baldrick grabs your attention with powerful vocals layered on an industrial sound. These are top class songs that build, erupt and soar.

I have already mentioned “Perfect Torture” and for me it is one of the best songs of 2024, mixed with that video, the message and hope from the song that was set on the back of adversary, pain and decimated communities. The video grabbed me and the song just felt as if it melted straight into my veins like a metal intravenous drip, sheer brilliance.

I have touched on earlier about how the band have played things a little differently. I cannot tell you the last foreign band I saw without them having an album released…if ever so I need to speak about their live show. I am sure there are a lot of people reading this that found the band by their support slot with The air raid siren and if you were one of those people you already know that first and foremost they are a live animal. They may have had a short set on the tour but I did not speak to one person who were not impressed by their show.

Not only did the show blow me away I managed to have a quick chat with the guys after their show in Glasgow and the fact they were so welcoming and grateful of compliments in a strange land it endeared me even more and I am now wondering if Kiwis are the new Canadians as they are so fucking nice.

Next Track is “Proof of Life” and with just an acoustic and those angelic vocal chords the song grows into a monster of guitar greatness and prolific power. This sways between a power ballad and the greatness of Bob Rock produced metal anthem.

On “Learn to Crawl” we slow everything down, simplify with a recurring guitar flick and settle into a Rock song of gargantuan size. Sometimes less is more and this exemplifies the power of simplicity.

With a title like “Set me on Fire” you could guess that we are going back to that 70s Punk feel. Fast, furious and punctuated with brutality and the song is beautifully followed up with a similar off kilter mentality in “Psycho” and this song is way to close to me personally and it gives me PTSD so I will just say…been there, done that, get me the fuck out of here ASAP.

As much as these songs are varied there is definitely a vibe that can only be described as BST swagger and the sound permeates strongly on “One More Chance (Don’t let it Slip Away). Every aspect heard already is there but it is how they twist the songs, the vocals, the bass and the tortured vocals sets each song apart and this track is outstanding and had me thinking of any number of catchy mutherfuckers that Skillet have written.

On “Never Dies” the boys only went and had a little helping hand from Disturbed’s David Draiman and as you can imagine he is not going to sign his name over to a steaming pile of shit so you can bet (and I can confirm) that this is a beast.

“Sun Cries Red” is from that simplicity playbook but that does not cover just how powerful this song is. The song is like a culmination of the best balladic tracks you can think of. It stands beside the best you have heard and love. You really have to stop yourself and go this is a debut for Christ sake such is the professionality on show.

The boys want to finish on something that will stay with you and make you keep coming back and “Promise” does that in spades.

Considering Horizons was meant to be a six track EP but producer Nick Raskulinecz demanded a full length record this could easily have had a few tracks that were not as strong as the initial six but there is no filler. Each song has a statement of intent, a power within itself and when taken as a whole this album is one of the best releases this year and one hell of a debut.

Black Smoke Trigger are the real deal, they are the middle finger to Gene Simmons rock is dead statement and they could very well be the future and saviour of this music scene I love so much.

Pre-order Horizons in various formats/bundles including limited edition coloured vinyl here.