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By Trevor ‘Krash’ Knight
keeperofthe7key@aol.com

Welcome to another Krash Kourse review. Today we’re talking about Native Sons’ new album, Shadow Head, to be released on March 17, 2023.

Native Sons is a young modern hard rock band with classic attitude, sound, and songwriting. I came across them in a live setting when they opened for Kickin Valentina in 2021. The guitar duo of JT Shea and Victor Adriel were great, and Aston Blake’s stage presence gave me a Lynch Mob feel. I’ve been a fan ever since! 

So now, Native Sons come into 2023 with their sophomore album called Shadow Head, album rockers of any scene can enjoy. With Ashton Blake coming in on vocals, JT Shea and Victor Adriel on guitars, Grady Steel on drums, and Truman Fleming on Bass. Join me in some quick thoughts on the songs from Shadow Head.

The album kicks off with “Danger,” and you know exactly what you’re in for in terms of the vibe for the rest of this album. Ashton’s vocals are wide – especially in the chorus – and solos are to be admired!

We move to the second track, “Again Tomorrow,” another up-tempo track with grove and crunchy riffs. 

The third track is more mid to slower-paced song but hits perfectly in the flow of the album. Indeed, “Another Day” brings out more feeling in Ashton’s vocals, with the duo guitars doubling down. The only negative on this track would be the song starts to fade out while a solo is being executed, but other than that, it’s a damn good song.

“Lost Way,” the fourth track, has a little bit of a ballad feel to it. You get some more guitar isolation parts in here, which I enjoy.

“Red Leather Woman” is next up and is the second single from this album. I enjoy this single more than the first one, which we will get to shortly. This one here has a ’90s feel, quite excellent and distinctive. You can see my initial reaction to this song here.

The next track is “Let Me Go,” which I really dug. It’s got some crunchy riffs, great solos, and songwriting, and the whole band sounds great here.

So after a fast-paced party track, we move to “I’ve Got Time,” a slower song but still heavy and another heartfelt vocal performance from Ashton. This is another song that sadly ends while fading out on a solo; we can’t be doing this to Victor and JT!

All images courtesy of Getty Images/Wiki Commons

Next, we jump quickly into the first single of this album, “Drama.” I like this song because it’s a short, sweet, to-the-point type of song. It’s not my favorite song off an album full of bangers, but once again, we have solos flying all over the place, which keeps one’s interest throughout.

Now we come to probably my favorite track off the album, a heavy, gritty, mid-paced song, which is the title track, “Shadow Head.” Ashton put together another powerful vocal performance, and the whole band backs him up brilliantly. It’s a track that needs to be heard to be felt.

Coming to the tenth and final track, “Lost Way,” the boys want to go out in a good way with a rocking song to make sure you don’t leave with anything left in the tank.

Overall, I enjoyed digging into Shadow Head. I have been anticipating it for a couple of years now, and it did not disappoint. I have played it plenty of times just for the guitar work alone, but the whole band sounds great. With expansive vocals and top-notch production, it’s a winner. The songwriting shouldn’t be overlooked here, either.

Honestly, there isn’t much negative I can say about Shadow Head. People might say some of the songs might sound a little too similar, but I don’t think I would take that as a negative aspect. Just look at Ratt and ACϟDC, who have been doing as much for years to great success.

For my Krash Kourse album rating, I give it an easy 4/5 (maybe 4.5 some days). Every song will make my iPod cut, and all the tracks are good to great. Shadow Head surely has the potential to put these boys on the hard rock map!

Microphones will blow, fretboards will melt, and drums will be beaten. Simply put, the hard rock scene doesn’t know the storm ahead with Shadow Head.

All images courtesy of Getty Images/Wiki Commons

– Trevor ‘Krash’ Knight (Krash Kourse Metal Show) is a contributor for www.vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at Keeperofthe7key@aol.com