No Hope In New Jersey - A Steady Diet Of Decline (Atlantic Records) Released 22/08/05

No Hope In New Jersey are a Manchester band but not as we know it. They pay little regard to the cities musical output in the last decade mixing huge arena filling riffs with more melodious leanings that leaves them sitting somewhere between Foo Fighters and a hint of Gun n’ Roses. They have obviously garnered much of their influences from these and other American rock bands rather than the scene that sits on their doorstep. Their debut release ‘A Steady Diet Of Decline’ is an interesting if less than emphatic attempt to break the mould.

The album kicks off in fine style with the jaw droppingly loud opening bars of ‘Decline’, a three minute rock leviathan with a riff AC/DC would have been proud of back in the day. They follow that up the pristine dreamy melody and buzz saw guitars of ‘Bad Luck’ but that’s when the record begins to meander as songs like ‘Joys In Regret’, ‘Waste’ and ‘Invaders’ plough a more plodding, middle of the road rock route that contains little excitement.

They don’t really pick it up again until the sweat fuelled, attitude dripping ‘In The Yard’ which feels about a hundred times faster than the previous ponderous efforts. The shouty anthem ‘Narcolepsy’ does anything but put you to sleep, keeping up the adrenalin rush and looks like being a live favourite. ‘Gut Junk’ provides yet more massive riffage accompanied by soaring duelling vocals. They save the dirtiest, deafening song for last in the form of a minute long sleaze punk rant of a hidden track.

‘A Steady Diet Of Decline’ is at times thunderous and ear shredding but No Hope In New Jersey have made half a great album. On occasion they create devastating riffs that could burst your eardrums and perfect rock melodies but all too often they stumble in to territory they’ve already covered which makes the other half of the record too similar sounding. There is no doubt though that at their best they Raaaaawwwcckk like mother ****ers!