Screaming Eagles - High Class Rock 'N' Roll (2023)

Northern Irish rockers Screaming Eagles have never crossed my radar. Such is the way with rock music. There are just too many bands. “High Class Rock n’ Roll” ticks many of my boxes and I’m slightly gutted that I can’t get to the band’s show near me, because they bring the rock in the style of AC/DC and Airbourne. High octane rock ‘n’ roll. Nothing special but in a live environment, good fun. While the band brings the good times, the problem with “High Class Rock ‘n’ Roll” is that it is about as routine as they come.

Two minutes into the title track of their latest album, and their stomp is such that one can’t help but warm to the band. You need about 30 seconds of lead track ‘Thunder and Lightning’ to find the band’s groove. Its classic rock meets AC/DC, Northern Irish style, and that’s about it. Frontman Chris Fry describes it as “a face-melting powerhouse of an anthem, it’s raw, energetic and we think it captures just what the Screagles [yuk] do best. You’ll wish your sound system could go to 11”. I’m pleased he said that. For there is nothing here that is new, innovative, or exciting.

Forgive me, for there is nothing at all to complain about here, if you want well played rock ‘n’ roll. The challenge is that every song here could be written and performed by about a million other bands. And if I want to listen to AC/DC, or their counterparts Rose Tattoo, Airbourne, Sideburn, Krokus or even Burnt Out Wreck, then that’s where I’ll go. It’s competently played, in fact, it’s very well played, and has a decent production thanks to Guillermo ‘Will’ Maya (The Answer) which makes the songs very listenable from start to finish. I enjoyed the album when I was driving along. Yet nothing really stuck.

This is a band who will be banging at a small festival or your local pub, but take a step away, and Screaming Eagles are ultimately just a bit routine. Songs like ‘Cry Baby’, ‘Rebel’ and the title track work well, and get the head nodding and the feet tapping. Do they move me the way that fellow countrymen The Answer or even Trucker Diablo do? No. Not by a long chalk. But as I’m at pains to point out, it’s all very solid music. I am truly disappointed that I can’t see them on their forthcoming tour, as I think they would be excellent fun. And maybe that’s the best place to listen to this. With a beer in hand, transported away from the routine of the day. In that special place, I’m sure I’d appreciate Screaming Eagles a whole lot more.

Screaming Eagles drop video for title track from upcoming new album ‘High Class Rock ‘N’ Roll’
The Screaming Eagles consisting of lead vocalist Chris Fry, guitarist Adrian McAleenan, bassist Ryan Lilly and drummer Kyle Cruikshank have unveiled a video for the title track from their upcoming third full-length studio album High Class Rock ‘N’ Roll, which will be released via FTF Records on October 6, 2023.

In an interview with Sleaze Roxx back in October 2015, Cruikshank explained how the band members came up with the group name Screaming Eagles and the shortened version “Screagles“. Cruikshank indicated: “It took us ages to come up with a name that we all liked. Adrian came up with Eagles Scream after a Motörhead lyric and we just flipped it round to Screaming Eagles as it sounded cooler. I think Chris can take the credit for that one. We later found out about the Screaming Eagles Airborne Division from World War 2 and we wrote a song about them called Screaming Eagles, which features on our new album ‘Stand Up And Be Counted.’ The nickname “Screagles” came from Chris registering our name on Twitter and just shortening the full name to “Screagles”, it seems to have caught on with our fans!”