It is common knowledge that recording an album is a long, often difficult, and certainly expensive process. With that said, imagine being close to finished and very satisfied with how a record was coming along, only to lose everything you worked on. As if that is not devastating enough, imagine also losing your studio and half of your equipment as well. This is what happened to New York based rock band The Pretty Reckless when working on their sophomore album Going to Hell in the fall of 2012 and Hurricane Sandy hit. It is an unfortunate part of life that sometimes things beyond our control entirely uproot our plans, but The Pretty Reckless bounced back and released the album in March 2014. The hurricane was merely a setback for the group, but everything happens for a reason, and this hurricane ended up being the inspiration for a couple of new tracks on the album. The band explained that seeing New York City completely black from hurricane Sandy was an intense experience and spurred the creation of Going to Hell.
Since their formation in 2007, The Pretty Reckless have done quite well for themselves with headlined tours throughout the world, as well as supporting slots for some of the biggest names in rock-n-roll including Guns N’ Roses and Marilyn Manson. With their debut album Light Me Up (2010) reaching silver certification and over a million digital tracks sold, their second album certainly has raised quite a buzz in the rock scene regardless of setbacks due the unfortunate events mentioned above.
Leading off the album is the catchy rough rock anthem “Follow Me Down” with a chorus that is bound to have you singing along moments after hearing it. The first single off the album titled “Heaven Knows” follows. This song sets the tone for what to expect from the majority of the album; a solid rock-n-roll that is sure to be loved by new and seasoned fans alike. Songs like “Going to Hell”, “Fucked up World”, and “Why’d You Bring a Shotgun to the Party” are the perfect examples of this classic rock-n -roll style. “Going to Hell” showcases this with lines such as “For the lives that I fake, I’m going to hell!/ For the vows that I break, I’m going to hell!”. The song highlight the spunk and edgy quality of frontwoman Taylor Momsen. Showing off even more roughness Momsen sounds strong on the song “Fucked up World”. This track will surely end up stuck in your heads, embodying a raw rock feel with lyrics like “It’s a fucked up world/ What do you get/ Sex and love and guns like a cigarette”. Through these impressive examples of grit and fury Momsen undeniably shows energetic dynamic vocalization along with aggressive uncensored lyrics.
Slowing things down a bit, “Burn” showcases some of the most powerful singing on an album showered with passionate ear-tingling tunes. A similar mellow vibe is felt again on the closing song “Waiting for a Friend”, that opens with an acoustic intro, followed by subtle, and calm vocals which relax the listener for its duration. It is a somber song that shows off the diverse talents of the groups ability to switch from unhinged rockers to a slow acoustic composition with emotionally raw words.
Overall, Going to Hell is a great album that truly encapsulates the natural uninhibited feeling rock-n-roll is meant to have. It was definitely worth the wait and all of the hard work put into the production. Going to Hell is a solid complete album with some standout songs, with overall high quality and cohesion. With the return of their producer Kato Khandwala (Paramore, Blondie, Drowning Pool), The Pretty Reckless have captured a similar same magic to their debut while maturing in style and sound. Momsen brings beautiful, strong vocals with the right amount of edge that coincides perfectly with the music through each track. The band has clearly set the bar high with Going to Hell and it will be exciting to see them grow even more in future releases. CyrpticRock gives Going to Hell 4.5 out of 5 stars.
- Razor & Tie
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