Regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of the 1980s, George Lynch’s name precedes him. Widely recognized as a key member of the band Dokken, in 1989 Lynch broke away to form his own band under the name Lynch Mob. Joining Lynch was Drummer Mick Brown, Bassist Anthony Esposito, along with Vocalist Oni Logan, and, in 1990, released their debut album Wicked Sensation featuring the single named after the album. Though sales of the album peaked at Gold status, Wicked Sensation was a hit among fans still craving ’80s Hair Metal at a time when Grunge was slowly taking over. Sadly, Lynch Mob disbanded in 1995, however, they have reunited several times and have been consistently active for nearly a decade now.
With their share of lineup changes, George Lynch and his core group – consisting of Drummer Jimmy D’Anda, Vocalist Oni Logan, and Bassist Sean McNabb – returned on September 8, 2017 with their new album, The Brotherhood, via Rat Pak Records. A follow-up to 2015’s Rebel, produced by Chris “The Wizard” Collier (Flotsam & Jetsam, Prong), The Brotherhood is appropriately titled for the family vibe among the members of Lynch Mob. Featuring 12 brand new Hard Rock songs for fans to enjoy, will The Brotherhood find its audience?
Well, for listeners who love the trademark sound of Lynch Mob, The Brotherhood continues their style of Southern Rock meets Hard Rock. It kicks off with the rocker “Main Offender” and moves smoothly into “Mr. Jekyll and Hyde,” which begins with a signature ’80s Metal drum intro, taking the listener into a state fueled by slow and heavy grooves. This vibe is also featured on the tracks such as “Dog Town Mystics,” “Black Heart Days,” and “Until the Sky Comes Down.”
That said, ballads have always been a standard for bands like Lynch Mob and “Miles Away” fits the part well. In addition, cuts including “I’ll Take Miami,” “Last Call Lady,” “Where We Started,” “The Forgotten Maiden’s Pearl,” and “Black Mountain” all fit nicely with Blues Rock attitude with hearty guitar chops. Lastly, bringing the album to a close is “Until I Get My Gold” with tame but gritty guitar work, bluesy harmonica, and a touch of tambourine.
Commenting on the album, Logan stated, “After doing quite a few miles together with this latest line-up of Sean McNabb and Jimmy D’Anda, we consider ourselves a pack of wolves, and we came up with the name The Brotherhood for the title of the next Lynch Mob album. It’s got more of an adventurous sound in part and maybe a darker, colder sound to it. We are always willing to go farther. We come from the early ’90s and it’s when we released the first Lynch Mob album, which set a sound and course for us. Here we are 27 years later, George and I are still able to keep on stretching. As a player, as a writer, that is very important to us. Otherwise we would be fooling ourselves and fooling you.”
Furthermore, Lynch himself went on to say, “We wrote this album as a band and the name of the record reflects what the band is about, and what all my bands have been about since I’ve been a kid. This is my second family. These are my brothers. You go through alot together and have a lot of experiences together. And that then becomes part of the music.” These comments are reflective of how although many issues plagued Lynch Mob over the years, they have found a way to come together and do what they love.
Also deserving a mention, there are two brand new music videos to go along with The Brotherhood, including “Main Offender’s,” which fans viewed 125,000 times in the video’s first three weeks. The second video, “Mr. Jekyll and Hyde,” produced by Jamie Brown, features a cameo appearance by the band Beasto Blanco and also shows Lynch Mob performing in a freak show, making it well-worth checking out. In enough words, Lynch Mob have put together a nice effort keeping the Hard Rock dream alive. That is why CrypticRock gives The Brotherhood 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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