Take a moment to think about bands that have suffered from DSAS (Difficult Second Album Syndrome), bands where their debut releases were so strong, it would take a juggernaut to even match the success it garnered. Bands such as Stone Roses transformed the sonic landscape with their self-titled offering back in 1989 but fell WAY short of the mark with Second Coming in 1994, one wonders if they had simply missed the boat with a 5 year hiatus between releases. Guns n’ Roses hit the nail on the head in 1987 with Appetite for Destruction which remains one of my all time favourite albums to date, hang on 4 years until the release of Use Your Illusion I & II and the story was somewhat different. I could go on but you get the gist. Would Devon based blues rockers MORIATY go down the same route with their sophomore release The Die is Cast, read on to find out….

MORIATY are a band that have been around for a good few years now, I first stumbled upon them at a small village festival in Denbury (or was it at Lemonfest? - my memory ain’t what it used to be folks!), they were playing inside a big-top style tent and judging by the size of the crowd that had squeezed in, I knew that I was in for a treat. Having seen them countless times over the past 5 years, they never disappoint with their heady mix of killer riffs, pounding beats and a dirty blues swagger that really sets them apart from other bands. 

Having been invited by MUSE to support them at Exeter University in 2015 on their ‘Drones’ world tour and also Seasick Steve in Perranporth in 2018, you can’t help but get the impression that these guys are seasoned pros and know the score, you’re not wrong! 

Given that their debut album The Devil’s Child landed in 2014, I hoped that the 6 year gap wouldn’t add them to the list of bands I mentioned above, as time does have a strange way of doing this to bands. After spending 20 minutes browsing the racks of a Teignmouth record shop where I was told I would find the record, I messaged Jordan West who kindly informed me that I was in the wrong shop….I was going to ask the owner but he was busy labelling some country music cassettes and sorting through a box of Daily Mail cover CD’s so I thought it best to leave him to it! After locating the correct shop, I bagged a copy on lovely vinyl and hot-footed it home to get it on the deck and give it a whirl.

The Die is Cast consists of 12 tracks, 6 on each side (records have 2 sides you see…) which balances things out nicely, think Ying & Yang, Ebony & Ivory, John & Yoko and you’re on the right wavelength! 

The record kicks off with ‘LOL’, a riff almost akin to a classic Lenny Kravitz track gets us going before a 4:4 dirty beat brings things to the boil and gives you a groove to hang your coat on, this is one tasty track that really sets the bar for the rest of the album.

Upping the tempo a little is ‘Shake’ which is centred around a super catchy riff that MORIATY are renowned for. The track keeps you engaged throughout and its driving rhythm and heavy riff breakdown towards the end really add to the overall impact that the track has, stunning stuff.

’24-7’ is a track penned by Matthew Partridge where he also provides lead vocals whilst sitting behind the kit, leaving West to get down and dirty on guitar and shared vocal duties. The fat guitar really shine through and the keyboard solo provided by Josiah Manning is off the scale.

‘Balls Out Of The Bath (An Ode to Mary)’ kicks off with stripped back guitar before the drums bring it all together and the riff drops. Another 4:4 banger which has a real ‘pop’ ring to it, I can imagine this being remixed for the dance floor quite easily. 

The simple acoustic intro to ‘OH!’ harks back to the late 60’s and the times of The Animals, backing vocals add a different dimension to the song as West continues with his story telling style lyrics throughout. Midway through, we are treated to a trumpet solo courtesy of Simon Dobson as well as a haunting cello soundscape created by Jo Hooper. This is a diversion from usual MORIATY material but proves that they too are no one trick pony when it comes to creating varied music.

‘Cognitive Dissonance’ wraps up side A of the long player and features the voice of Stephen Fry with piano work courtesy of Josiah Manning, it reminded me of a track by MUSE from their 2nd Law album but without the craziness of Matt Bellamy’s squealing guitar. A slow burner which brings the first half of the record to a beautiful close.

‘Keep on Keeping On’ for me has a real Kings of Leon feel to it, whether they’ll take this as a compliment or not, I cannot help thinking of them as the track plays through. It’s a refreshing number with stabbing guitar laid over a fat beat and a sweet melody. West’s vocals really shine through on this track and dare I say, sound like they’re getting better as his vocal chords, ahem, mature…..

‘Sonny’ kicks in with a riff that wouldn’t feel out of place at the start of an AC/DC track whilst the vocal style reminded me of early Dinosaur Jr, that lazy drawl that J Mascis is renowned for coming through in West’s voice. The riff is less blues and more rock throughout but the breakdown towards the end of the track features some proper dirty blues, great stuff.

‘Bills’ is full on, out and out blues rock in its finest glory, the riff, the lyrics, the beat, every box is ticked and Partridge’s backing vocals are sublime. Lyrics such as “I Don’t Ever Win the Lottery, I don’t Buy a Ticket Anyway”, really strike a chord and add a truth around the subject matter of the track. As the beat builds around the 2m40s mark of the track, West comes in with a killer riff/solo which takes things up a notch and I can see this being a firm favourite on the live circuit. “I Just Want Something to Believe In”, cries West as the song reaches a crescendo and comes crashing in with drums and that killer riff, absolutely fucking epic stuff!

‘John Wayne’ features Josiah ‘The Messiah’ Manning on piano once again, a welcome relief to the very full on ‘Bills’ that preceded it. As the guitars come in with a dark, almost Black Sabbath-esque riff, sampled vocals fill the space, allowing West and Partridge to work their magic on the music which complements it very well indeed. The music intensifies as the track comes to a close with the last 30 seconds being feedback from the guitar whilst the spoken word about the global debt fades away.

‘The Die is Cast’ is an almost instrumental number, lighter than what we’ve been given thus far and from what I can make out, a monologue from someone masquerading as an old lady floating over the music.

With a creaking door and footsteps, you might think that it was the start of MJ’s ‘Thriller’ but alas, it was West, walking to the piano to knock out the final track on the record with ‘Netflix’. His Thom Yorke styled vocals over a simple and stripped back piano sound pure and very effective. The track really cleanses your soul, having been put through a roller coaster of filthy dirty blues rock, it almost acts as a sonic shower that flushes out all toxins, ready for the next listen, of which there will be many!

I am so glad that MORIATY released the album when they did, I needed something to get me through the last 6 months of lockdown blues and The Die is Cast has really helped to restore my faith in music once again.

So, the question everyone has is “Did they bring the beef?” - Ladies and Gents, they bought the beef, sliced it up nice and thick and served it with a myriad of condiments meaning there really is something for everyone, nobody goes hungry when it comes to the new MORIATY album. You can pick up physical copies of the album at SPS Records in Teignmouth or Phoenix Sound in Newton Abbot or via mail order from easyaction.co.uk

Check the website for details of forthcoming live shows.

Review by Steve Muscutt