"A rugged sense of musicality that doesn’t skimp on texture": Gorilla Riot make the right noises but ultimately fall short on second album Stardust

Gorilla Riot: Salvation cover art.

Gorilla Riot have tweaked their sound in recent years, swapping straight-ahead hard rock for “dirty blues”, as they’ve called it.

The Mancunians bring a rugged sense of musicality that doesn’t skimp on texture, and Salvation jumps two-footed into their southern-fried pursuits. Blush swaggers along nicely like an AC/DC-Lynyrd Skynyrd hybrid, and frontman Arjun Bhishma flexes his sonorous vocals on the serene Slaver’s Song.