Rock of Sages

posted in: Artist Features • Rock

When you’re blessed with a powerhouse voice like John Allen, doing anything other than singing in a rock band doesn’t make much sense. Which makes it a little strange that Allen’s biggest success to date happened behind kit as the drummer for Baltimore rockers SR-71. With Charm City Devils, Allen takes his rightful place as front man and, backed by a band of capable musicians, churns out raw, swaggering garage rock teeming with hooks. The bluesy strut of Best of the Worst sounds like something Buckcherry only wish they could write ”with a blistering guitar solo that would make Slash tip his top hat. The buzzsaw guitars and rock steady drums of Let’s Rock and Roll, topped off with the sandpaper grit of Allen’s voice, makes for exhilarating time travel back to ACDC’s Back in Black era. Almost Home is a ballad about Allen’s mother’s battle with cancer, and is rightfully sentimental. But what Charm City Devils do best is rock, and True Love is indisputable evidence of that. Above the bluesy, thundering, stadium anthem ruckus, Allen asks, Can I get a hell yeah? Hell yeah you can.