Tough love works wonders!

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the highly anticipated debut album of Australia’s AARDVARK, Tough Love, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Not to be confused with the cult ‘70s prog band, Australia’s AARDVARK are a classic heavy metal quartet hailing from Melbourne. Born from a desire to bring the masses together with the biting forces of power and honesty, AARDVARK aim to prove there is weight to sincerity and strength in vulnerability. The band’s twin-guitar attack keeps fists pumping with tough-yet-melodic riffs, while their thunderous rhythm section drives the tank forward with unyielding brawn.

Formed in 2021, AARDVARK burst onto the Australian heavy metal scene seemingly out of nowhere with an increasingly packed weekly residency at the iconic Tote Hotel in August 2023, followed quickly by a sold-out launch show for their debut 7” single. The AARDVARK hasn’t slowed down since, with a blistering run of local shows and upcoming supports in 2024 for Cirith Ungol and Riot City.

Now that tank is ready to plow down the gates with the debut album Tough Love. With its cover art encapsulating all their central themes, Tough Love proves the full potential of AARDVARK and that the band is good on their word. With nine tracks clocking in at 44 minutes, Tough Love is a compendium of songs that present a tough, masculine vulnerability, a mixture of personal anthems and mythical journeys that offer a pertinent contrast of escapism and self-reflection. With a sound somewhere between NWOBHM and traditional heavy metal, Tough Love aims to impact with a mix of mid-tempo rockers, poignant ballads, and attacking speed.

Reverential to the past but by no means blinkered by it, AARDVARK inject their own personality and panache into 1983-vintage heavy metal: moody, melodic, dynamic, and dashing. If Conan the Barbarian could shed a tear, he’d do it listening to Tough Love!

Line-up:
Ed Vaark — lead vocals & guitar
Sorcha Wilcox — guitar
Danny Smith — bass guitar
Dylan Lieberman — drums

From Melbourne, Australia

Release date:
March 15th 2024

REVIEW

Due to their somewhat unconventional name, AARDVARK have been on my radar for several months now. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of their debut record, which boasts a solid, pleasantly 80s, album cover. I don’t know how the band resisted putting an actual aardvark on the cover, but I salute their restraint.

“Ankh” kicks things off, establishing ambiance with some discordant noise, before the guitars take over with some slow Egypt-tinged work, big Powerslave vibes here. A blistering rampage of drums lashes out at the 1:35 mark, ushering in the track properly with some great riffage and gnarly basswork. It’s almost speed metal in parts, but there’s a notable glam haze thrown over it. Also, I learned that it’s pronounced as “aynk” and not “ahnk”. Banger solo at 3:30, a perfect showcase of the talent behind the axe. Unexpectedly, the solo bled right into a softer instrumental bridge that recalled the introduction. An absolute waltz of toxic riffing erupted near the end of the track, and from here it became clear that AARDVARK wasn’t here to simply play, but to melt faces and other cool things. For an album opener, this track was surprisingly epic in scope and variety of style.

After that came the title track “Tough Love”, a much more glam-sounding affair. Guitars that chugged at a solid rhythm, and vocals that paired with them like peanut butter to chocolate. Huge fan of the raspiness in Ed Vaark’s vocals. Bit of a tempo shift at the 1:20 mark that added a great layer of musical maturity to the song. A drumroll thrusts us headlong into a great little solo, nothing too long or fancy, just more excellent guitaring, and all the while that infectious hook of a main riff soldiered on behind it.

“Don’t Call Me A Liar” was our third offering, and this is where the NWOBHM influence stuck out the most to me thus far, but I also detected a hint of KISS in the vocal delivery. It’s a more simplistic track than the previous two, but it shines the most in its lyrics. Couple that with a subtle earworm of a chorus, and a killer solo to boot, and you’ve got another banger on your hands.

“Fire” was unleashed next, and did so with my favorite riff of the album thus far. Again, Aardvark show-off their lyrical writing prowess. While the music has so far leaned closer to the KISS and other glam acts side of things, the lyrics are much closer to the MAIDEN department. Love the delivery of the chorus, it’s perfect to sing along to. My favorite track of the album thus far, dethroning the opener.

Then came “Destructor”, and an insanely good drumroll sent this one full speed ahead. The drums throughout this whole track are aggressive and violent in a beautiful sort of way. That chorus banshee’s cry is immaculate! Pure metal glory! Throughout the song are some much harsher vocals that personify the voice of the titular Destructor, a harsh and brute of a demon or killer by the sound of things.

Beginning the 2nd “half” of the record was the lead single “Fight Back”, and the glam and 70s hard rock influence is very much at the forefront here, at leas that’s what I was picking up on. Vaark hits some stellar high notes on this one, a perfect place to show his chops off. The latter third or so of the song has a really rad groove to it that carried the song to the finish line with a victory cry.

“Killer” was next, and was also the shortest track on the album at just over 3 minutes. Great riffing to start things off, and the band shines as the entire group recites the chorus. Here I picked up on some THIN LIZZY, after having spent the entire record wondering who the vocals were reminding me of. This was a blitzing tour de force of near-speed metal goodness, but with the added hard rock flair that AARDVARK seem to flourish with gusto.

Our penultimate track was “The Dream Is Nearly Over”, slower and almost melancholic guitar melodies began things, accompanied nicely by soft drumming and a smooth bassline. Vaark has quite the set of pipes and they showcase that on this track, the album’s quota-meeting power ballad. Barely a minute into this one and I was hooked on the groove of it all. The cadence and delivery of the lyrics was sublime and wrought with emotion. A gorgeous set of chords at the 3:15 mark as they bled into the solo like missing puzzle pieces. And what a face-melter of a solo it was, pure virtuosity on full display. As the solo came to a close, the band once more shows off their strength at reciting lyrics in unison. I truly cannot say enough good things about this track, it’s easily in the running for song of the year.

And the final track of the album, “Too Old to Cry”. Wonderfully melodious axework ushered this one onto my speakers. Lieberman’s drumming dazzles throughout with a constant thrashing. Yet another excellent guitar solo in this one as well, particularly at the 2:30 mark. One final battle cry brings the album to a close as the instruments crescendo into a flurry of power.

CONCLUSION

A pleasant surprise to say the least! I’m always looking for bands with a debut release looming on the horizon, and AARDVARK did not disappoint in the slightest. There’s a tight, cohesiveness to their music that’d make one think they’d be seasoned vets, and not on their first album. Great stuff all around here, and one that will surely have a place on my end-of-year list.

TheNWOTHM Score: 9/10

AARDVARK
Bandcamp: https://aardvarkheavymetal.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aardvarkband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aardvark.band/