It’s no secret that among the critics, tastemakers, and gatekeepers of popular music, heavy metal isn’t held in the highest regard. Today they pretend to like Sabbath and Slayer, but that’s only for cool points. Both bands were hated by these types during their initial run of classic albums. However, metal is not alone in this boat of bias. Metal’s parent genre, hard rock, has beared the brunt of unnecessary criticism for the last 55 years. This is due in part to the generalization that hard rock is a one trick pony. Bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Aerosmith laid down the groundwork with simple bluesy riffs, throat shredding vocals, and oversexualized lyrics to a thumping beat. But just because the biggest bands in the genre fit these traits doesn’t mean the entire genre should be cast aside as such. Hard rock bands that don’t fit this mold have been fighting to prove these windbags wrong for decades. Canada’s Freeways is next in the ring.
True Bearings isn’t music to get in a fist fight to. It isn’t music to blast while speeding down the highway either. It certainly isn’t music to seduce the girl next door. See that RV upon the snow trodden ground which graces the album cover? Imagine parking that RV, starting a bonfire in the distance, and sitting around the fire with your friends as you crack open cold ones and enjoy each other’s company. That’s what True Bearings is music for.
If you’ve never listened to Freeways, it’s easy to draw comparisons to Thin Lizzy. Besides the impeccable twin lead solos and hooky riffs, the influence of Lynott is present in the lyrics and vocal phrasing. However, Freeways takes this influence and makes it their own. It’s a modern twist on a retro sound that’s on full display on songs such as the title track, “Just Survival”, and my favorite, “Dead Air”. These are kick you in the teeth hard rockers, but with emphasis on melody and atmosphere.
True Bearings isn’t purely Thin Lizzy worship. Freeways dips their toes into various sounds throughout the course of the album. “Sorrow (Love in Vain)” has dark undertones which remind me of classic BÖC. “Battered & Bruised” is carried by a funky groove that’d make Hughes and Coverdale proud. Perhaps the greatest artistic achievement on here is “Time is No Excuse”. Have you ever wondered what a hard rock torch song would sound like? Does that last sentence read like a contradiction? If you answered no and yes to the last two questions, do yourself a favor and check out this song. It wouldn’t sound out of place in a candlelit dinner playlist of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett standards, yet has enough tasty guitar work to satisfy six string aficionados and hard rockers alike.
This is one of the strongest hard rock debuts I’ve heard in some time. If bands like Greta Van Fleet, Rival Sons, and Dirty Honey can break their way into active rock radio rotations, there’s no reason Freeways couldn’t. They could very well be the face of hard rock in the 2020s. To those who doubt me, would you have believed it if you were told in 2010 that a Swedish band of masked ghouls fronted by a demonic pope would be the biggest rock band of the decade? What’s to hold back four lanky denim clad Canadian dudes? You tell me.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna crack open a beer, dim the lights, and listen to True Bearings again beside my electric fireplace. You should too.
7 out of 10
Label: Temple of Mystery Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Thin Lizzy, Blue Öyster Cult, Wishbone Ash