Inglorious
By Mike O’Cull
Emerging British rockers Inglorious, flip the script brilliantly on the band’s new album Heroine. Impacting the world on September 10th, 2021 thanks to Frontiers Music s.r.l., the new spinner is an all-covers record that is meant as a tribute to the many outstanding female artists who have influenced this five-man electrical band in one way or another. It’s an amazingly entertaining concept and Inglorious executes it like the champions they are. The group treats us to reworkings of hits by a wide range of female performers on Heroine including Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Tina Turner, Heart, Evanescence, Alanis Morissette, Christina Aguilera, and Halestorm. Each one is reprocessed by Inglorious’ own rock and roll heart and comes across as an authentic homage to these talented women.
Inglorious is a tough-sounding group of five that all share an intense love for huge guitar riffs and wailing rock vocals. The band was formed by former Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Uli Jon Roth frontman Nathan James in 2014 and the current lineup also includes guitarists Danny Dela Cruz and Dan Stevens, bassist Vinnie Colla and drummer Phil Beaver. They’re a tight, versatile crew who are now five albums into an ever-expanding career that has them on an upward trajectory toward the top of the global hard rock scene. Heroine is a big-time showing of skill and vision that should do a lot to accomplish that goal. The choice to cover female artists exclusively here puts the band out on a creative high wire but they rise to the challenge and hit these songs with the strength and respect they deserve.
Inglorious opens the new record with a hard-swinging romp through Whitney Houston’s “Queen Of The Night” that slaps and snaps. They take Whitney into full-on guitar rock territory and the stylistic shift goes down incredibly well, showing us all just how interrelated many of the artists we listen to really are. American blues music is the common ancestor of both Houston and Inglorious and that connection leaves a ton of open ground for just this sort of middle-ground experience. It all makes perfect sense as soon as you hear it.
Heart’s iconic “Barracuda” is an obvious choice, as you can’t talk about female rockers without mentioning the eternally cool Wilson sisters. Still, the song is a true test of power and glory for any rock singer out there but Nathan James does original vocalist Ann Wilson more than proud with his high notes and attitude. The band pumps out the song’s gut-punching groove with enthusiasm and reminds us all how crucial a great rhythm guitar part really is. Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” is rocked up equally well and features a killer horn section floating on top of all the guitar and drum fury. James does fine work again on this vocal and consistently hauls the mail on even the highest notes. This is a fun track with a pumping groove that recalls the wild times of the 60s and 70s. You’re definitely going to want to spend some quality loud-music time with it.
Joan Jett’s hit “I Hate Myself For Loving You” is a natural choice for this collection and Inglorious fits it like Joan wrote it just for them. It’s brash, bold, and brazen in the way all great rock and roll is and contains some of Heroine’s most impressive guitar playing.
One of the record’s best moments is a delicate, acoustic guitar take on Cyndi Lauper’s heart-rending 80s classic “Time After Time.” It’s a breathtaking, intimate track that lets Inglorious play with melody and texture in a different way than on the rest of the record and is sure to make you feel its emotional depth. Heroine is an ambitious and enjoyable tour of some of Inglorious’ less obvious influences that deserves a prime spot in your Fall rotation. Expect to find more than a couple new favorite songs.
Listen to “Hate Myself For Loving You” (Joan Jett cover)
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