Metal Temple

The Dead Daisies is really an amazing act to hear to, always creating songs that are remarkable, and the band’s name would be in the same lever of LED ZEPPELIN or DEEP PURPLE in the 70’s due its talent. The album opens with a bluesy Hard Rock call “Face Your Fear”, filled with amazing melodies, guitars arrangements and a thunderous weight, the same happening on “Hypnotize Yourself” (besides this one shows a deeper set of melodies). “Shine On” is an abrasive Hard Rock roller coaster, filled with a frantic and hooking energy. Evoking a bombastic weight with a bluesy touch, “Radiance” is amazing, with a charming chorus.

On “Born To Fly”, even keeping the heavier abrasive approach of the band, many instrumental arrangements creates a perfect sheath for the vocals. And “Kiss The Sun” brings a mix between influences of Hard Rock (70%) with Country Rock and Blue Rock elements (30%), with perfect changes between the tunes of the vocals. If one is looking for mammoth guitar riffs, they’re clearly on “Courageous”, with excellent six-string arrangements that allows bass guitar and drums to exhibit a very good technical work. And revising some ‘sabbathic’ and ‘acdcian’ influences, “Cascade” can oppress the ears of the younger fans that aren’t used to such organic expression.

With more accessible dynamics, “Not Human” is a form of Hard Rock used in the ‘80’s with charming guitar parts. And “Roll On” is a deeper and melancholic song with crescendos near the chorus, where one can check the versatility of the guitars (the contrasts between clean and distorted parts are wonderful) and charming keyboard touches. One can say that “Radiance” is a fine example of how playing such form of Rock with an actual feeling. But no one can deny: THE DEAD DAISIES is a band with energy to last as the older band are becoming tired….
Another album for the list of the best one of the year.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10

Get Ready To Rock

If you are looking for a large amount of heavy riffage, this is the place. Opener ‘Face Your Fear’ actually recalls the punchline riff of  ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’ but demonstrates everything that’s good about this album.  Soulful, distinctive vocals and muscular, melodic guitar from Doug Aldrich.

The strength of this album has been revealed by the trickle of “singles” since early summer – following the digital ‘Live From Daisyland’ EP to keep things bubbling – including ‘Hypnotize Yourself’ with its bluesy overtones reminding of latter-day Bad Company.

‘Radiance’ the album references several decades of heavy rock and serves it up in a dramatic, contemporary fashion and always with Hughes’ midas touch.  ‘Radiance’ is quite simply heavy rock heaven and certainly one of the best in class this year.

So, for example, ‘Born To Fly’ recalls a little of ‘Run To You’, whilst ‘Kiss The Sun’ is thematically connected  to The Beatles and ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’.  ‘Not Human’ recalls Audioslave via early millennium Europe and so on.

Whilst the album is riff-heavy throughout, it concludes with the wonderful mid-tempo ‘Roll On’ which at just on three minutes finishes far too soon but at least complements the single-length nature of tracks on the album as a whole.  Perhaps these tunes will be extended when played live?

Rating: 5/5

Guitar

With Holy Ground (2021) it was clear that at a new age dawned for The Daisies. Compositionally alone, catapulted Doug Aldrich (lead guitar), Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals) and David Lowy (rhythm guitar) that band-turned-all-star project in past year on an almost untouchable level. ‘Radiance’ underpins the beaten path with ten equal though completely independent pieces. Here will no recipe for success be copied, but a high phase of hard rock delivered. Moderate hook lines, fat riffs and an absolutely sublime one string drive that returned through the drummer Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Whitesnake, Foreigner) gets the right foundation.

Guitar 5/5

Hardline

‘Radiance’ is the sixth regular studio album by The Dead Daisies and features ‘The Voice Of Rock’ Glenn Hughes (vocals, bass). Drummer Brian Tichy has returned to the band, guitarist Doug Aldrich has been a permanent member since 2016, band leader David Lowy (guitar) keeps the line-up together. The various line-up changes in recent years have not affected the musical quality of the output. ‘Radiance’ is full of great songs that are loaded with positive energy and dynamics. On the one hand, you notice that here are very experienced musicians at work who, on the other hand, have not gotten into routine, but still enjoy making music. Producer Ben Grosse led previous album ‘Holy Ground’ and also played his part in ‘Radiance’ that the work sounds all of a piece. The opener ‘Face Your Fear’ should be mentioned as a starting point, because it’s very dramatic and its riff structure is reminiscent of Glenn Hughes’ time with Deep Purple. The title track ‘Radiance’ is very heavy and has a great groove. ‘Not Human’ is a straight and catchy song, the quiet ‘Roll On’ closes the great work. The album is an exciting rollercoaster ride and one can only hope that the line-up will continue and other such grandiose albums will emerge.

Rating: 9/10

Neckbreaker

THE DEAD DAISIES are also in the starting blocks in 2022 with a new album. The predecessor “Holy Ground” was not that long ago, and the band was already able to tour extensively this year. So is there hope?

There are, always have been and always will be. With “Radiance” there is even more hope because the album turned out exactly what I was hoping for. But with so many words about hope, deeds must follow, and that’s what the guys from THE DEAD DAISIES take care of.

“Radiance” was also recorded with a new cast. The legendary Glenn Hughes can still be found on vocals and bass, David Lowy and Doug Aldrich on guitars, of course, and Brian Tichy has taken a seat again on drums. I wouldn’t call THE DEAD DAISIES a simple “supergroup” though, because the band has developed too much of its own signature over the past few years. In this case, I’m sure that David Lowy and Doug Aldrich have contributed a great deal to this handwriting.

But Glenn Hughes also contributes even more clearly to the second album he is part of. His style can be clearly seen in the songs and the band becomes even more varied and a bit more classic as a result. There are ten songs on “Radiance”, and the motto “No Fillers, Only Killers” is also attractive. The strong opener “Face Your Fear” has an intro that takes some getting used to, but then offers hard rock in its purest form and stays in your head for a long time. It’s amazing how good Glenn Hughes’ voice is at 71. His signature vocal organ was the missing element in the Daisies for me, although Corabi certainly wasn’t a bad choice.

“Hypnotize Yourself” also manages to be catchy, but I like the intro much better, especially since the subsequent use of the entire band is incredibly cool. A pure mid-tempo rocker that exudes a certain feeling. The change between fast parts in the chorus and the otherwise calm verse part couldn’t fit better. Refined by a soulful Aldrich solo, it brings tears of joy to a rock fan’s eyes.

The band then shines with “Shine On”, another catchy number that shines insanely especially in the chorus. The song is a bit faster, but clearly shows what can still be possible in hard rock in 2022. The song starts quietly and stalks its actual tempo. Here, too, the band has chosen an extremely cool transition after the intro, already the second track where I notice that.

The title track is followed by a song that for me is thoroughly influenced by Glenn. A calm mid-tempo number with a sustained stopped riff that Glenn perfectly lays his voice over. Halfway through, the number picks up speed before a solo leads skilfully into the final section of the song. With “Born To Fly” the band then presents a real groove monster, I haven’t heard such a cool number for a long time.

Also “Kiss The Sun” doesn’t need to hide and is a real hard rock hunk. Glenn plays a lot more with his voice and also an effect that doesn’t bother at all. Here, too, THE DEAD DAISIES show an insane groove. In addition, it becomes clear again how well the band has refined their style, everything just fits together perfectly here.

With “Courageous” the band delivers a slightly faster piece after a few mid-tempo numbers, which is also convincing across the board. Here Glenn’s voice works perfectly with the slightly faster rhythm and the very successful guitar riffs, including a slightly progressive middle section, which is accompanied by a very happy-sounding solo.

“Cascade” features an insane rhythm.  It’s almost menacing when the song picks up speed after the first minute and presents its great chorus. The main riff of the song is definitely stuck in my ear canal. For “Not Human” the band presses the gas pedal again and plays much faster than with the other numbers. Here, too, there is a great chorus that is hard to forget after the first listen. It’s a real pleasure to listen to the band.

Then, unfortunately, we are already moving towards the end of the album with “Roll On”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find ten songs too few, but I could just listen to these guys for hours. And I rarely have that with new releases. I would rate “Roll On” as a semi-ballad and a more than worthy conclusion to this great disc.  Once again we hear a Doug Aldrich belt out a melodic solo, witnessing each gear mesh appropriately.

“Radiance” is already a great moment of hard rock for me and will certainly remain so for a long time to come. More of this please, I would love to see you next year. (Pascal)

Valuation: 9.5/10

Maximum Volume Music

Let me take you on a journey back in time – and you can probably thank whatever god you believe in that the website wasn’t around then as I’d never have shut up – but in 2010 a record came out that I think was probably the best of this millennium so far.
The Dead Daisies are right now the finest hard rock band on earth.
They hinted at this on 2021’s “Holy Ground”. They’ve made good on it on “Radiance”. It can’t be coincidence.
It’s been out a week, I’ve had it longer, I’ll explain why the review is late, however I will say that the first time I listened to it (this is genuinely true) it almost caused me to crash my car. The first chord on “Face Your Fear” hit and there’s a bass groove. I was playing it loud and it caused so much vibration that I thought it was falling to bits on the M40. I can reassure the good people of Honda that their vehicle is still good, and its instead the fact TDD are utterly thunderous.

In Doug Aldrich, Hughes has the perfect foil. The great bands need a guitarist and singer in synergy, and my goodness they’ve got an understanding here. There’s a moment in “Hypnotise Yourself” where that Hughes roar comes out in the chorus and Aldrich plays the lead with all that West Coast cool and you understand how good this band is.

“Shine On” gets its head down and heads for the nearest border. It’s the sound of limitless possibility. The sound of dreams, and even on the title track, where its groove is darker and slower, there’s a suggestion that everything, you know, might just be alright in the end.

Brian Tichy on drums anchors down “Born To Fly” – and the chorus soars, appropriately. The beauty of this one, though and indeed all the others, is that they don’t sound dated. They just sound “classic” and its something of a gift. “Kiss The Sky” goes down a funky, sort of Dan Reed Network road, and there’s a heavy blues feel to “Courageous”, but ultimately, whatever the subtleties it just sounds like a band with a total mastery of what it wants to do.

It’s strikingly heavy too. “Cascade” is typical in that there’s no hint of mellowing with age. It’s not angry, though and the words are unmistakably Hughes’ in that they are mystical, spiritual and you’d probably need to ask him what they mean. The ambiguity, however, means they mean what you want them to mean making TDD your band, almost.

“Not Human” rockets along, and what is a relatively short album – not one for excess fat – ends with the mid-paced “Roll On”. The closest this gets to a ballad, “I am a working man” sings Hughes as its first line and maybe that’s the point with The Dead Daisies. To cram as much in as possible. No other band has been as active in the last ten years or so. And of course, no other band has re-invented itself like this.

Which leads on to the only member of the group we haven’t mentioned. David Lowy. It’s his thing, his vision and you wonder if he ever stops and thinks: “blimey this has worked out better than I dared to dream.”

Which is partly why I am only writing about it now. Doing these reviews every day means you maybe listen to a record twice and form snap judgements on it. I’d listened to “Radiance” and decided it was hard rock record of the year after the first time I heard it. So you think, “I’ll give it a few more goes and live with the songs a bit…..”

Yeah? Well look, “Radiance” is the hard rock record of the year.

Andy Thorley

Rating 10/10

Rolling Stone Magazine France

All fire, all flame, The Dead Daisies release their new album, Radiance, which shows a solid band with thick riffs as we like.

No retreat in complete self-sufficiency in the south of the France, this time, for The Dead Daisies, at the time of shaking the walls of a studio with riffs and throat on fire. That said, the Burbank Mix Room doesn’t seem to sound that bad, beyond being convenient to be on time for family dinner.
Obviously, everyone has found their marks in this new version of group, the arrival of Glenn Hughes three years three years ago totally digested, the only “personnel movement” being to be declared at the drum level (Brian Tichy instead of Dean Castronovo).

The hard rock of the team, failing to deviate from the rules of the genre, seems to have gained in thickness, whether it is translated once again through the “giddiness” of Hughes or the guitar of Doug Aldrich. The fiery proof that we can still say (and do!) a lot with flowers, even withered ones…

XAVIER BONNET

POWERPLAY MAGAZINE

You know how I feel about this, I like The Dead Daisies before Glenn Hughes joined them but always thought they could go up a level.  I have always loved Glenn’s work, so when he joined, surprisingly I reckon that level was reached.

The last album, ‘Holy Ground’, was a thing of brilliance.  This?  This is just more.  ‘Face Your Fear’ kicks things off with a huge bass and riffing spine but a melodious and almost caressing Glenn Hughes vocal and arena filling Doug Aldrich solo.  And ‘Hypnotize Yourself’ does the same thing, takes a break after crunching in with big boots, and that chorus seems to have been delivered in the middle of a tornado, but the riff invites you in.

There’s fun here too; the percussion and voicebox that kickstarts the very groovy ‘Kiss The Sun’, and they just bash beautifully on occasion: ‘Courageous’ has thickness throughout, the title track forcing its heft into your ear whilst Glenn coaxes you, and ‘Cascade’ even sounds like mid ‘70s Sabbath when it starts; it flies in the chorus of course, but the rough feel of Aldrich’s solo brings us back to hard rock, making it as one of the hardest tracks The Dead Daisies have ever recorded.
This is incredibly groovy, too.  I challenge you to stop your head nodding to ‘Not Human’, this is heady stuff (ho ho).  The heavy rock, pausing to let the light in with Glenn Hughes soulful melodies?  That mist certainly is radiant.

POWERPOINTS: 10
Steve Swift

UK WINTER TOUR 2022