With only charming accents to betray their Belgian roots, The Black Box Revelation are a collision of the best garage rock sounds each side of the Atlantic. Those accents, and they are charming, belong to frontman Jan Paternoster and drummer Dries Van Dijck, who are only 22 and 20 respectively.
The duo, known by fans as The BBR, formed in 2005 and since then have released two full length albums, with a third, stateside debut ‘My Perception‘, due to hit American shelves next year. Out already however, is their ‘Shiver of Joy‘ EP, and it offers Americans an enticing preview of The BBR’s raucous rock ‘n’ roll.
Having played headline shows throughout Europe and supported Eagles of Death Metal, The BBR have made a name for themselves as a formidable proposition on stage as well as on record. The band are set to support Beady Eye on their upcoming US tour, and could well make a room full of new American fans each night.
With song titles like ‘Sealed With Thorns‘, ‘Love Licks‘ and ‘You Better Get In Touch With The Devil‘, there’s no doubting The Black Box Revelation sit on the dark and dirty side of rock. That’s also clear in the music itself; fuzz soaked gutter-rock riffs, restless, swaggering vocals and not so much drumming, as drum kit destruction.
The EP’s title track is like ‘Brown Sugar‘ on valium, but with all its swing still intact. “Please don’t you worry, let’s dance on through the night,” Paternoster pleads, in his Iggy Pop-like drawl. Judging by the cavorting rhythms that characterise their music, that may well be the band’s mantra.
It’s also worth noting that both Van Dijck and Paternost are obviously both talented musicians in their own right. Dries Van Dijck’s ferocious drumming on ‘I Think I Like You‘ could awaken the Pharaohs, or at the very least, open an Arctic Monkeys album, and even on record, Jan Paternoster is an engaging frontman. He stalks the microphone with his seductive crooning on ‘Never Alone/Always Together‘ while on two and a half minute blast ‘You Better Get In Touch With The Devil’, he spits gravel with raw-throated abandon. And when Paternoster isn’t singing, he’s not afraid to kiss the sky, as he does for nearly seven minutes on the slow burning epic, ‘Sealed With Thorns‘.
Equal parts The Creation and The White Stripes, old and new, The Black Box Revelation are like a long lost band from the Nuggets anthology, with all the energy and swing of a modern day rock band. The Black Box Revelation have mined all the great garage sounds of the last 50 years, from The Kinks through The Stooges and The Strokes. Don’t discount them as just another “The” band, because the BBR tell the rock ‘n’ roll story as well as anyone.
The ‘Shiver of Joy’ EP is available now from Merovee Records. US debut album ‘My Perception’ will be released in 2012. The Black Box Revelation support Beady Eye on their US tour beginning late November.
(Luke Henriques-Gomes)
