AMORETTES – White Hot Heat (Album Review)

Scottish hard rock, all-female trio, The Amorettes have recently issued their third album offering. Titled White Hot Heat, the album was available June 27, 2016, via Off Yer Rocka Records. And what a foot stomping, head banging, fist pumping barn burner it is! This third full-length record follows the debut, 2010’s Haulin’ Ass, and 2015’s Game On. Produced by Chris Tsangarides, Game On has been in my collection since shortly after its release. Unfortunately, it never got very much play time. That’ll be changing as I definitely will be revisiting it after hearing White Hot Heat.

The band formed in 2009 with the meeting of guitarist Gill Montgomery and drummer Hannah McKay at college. Bass guitarist and Hannah‘s younger sister, Heather McKay joined to round out the three-woman team. Finding the name “Amorette” in a baby name book, Montgomery christened the band and The Amorettes were born.

The Amorettes – White Hot Heat

The lead-off track, “Batter Up” starts off with a bang. High energy right out of the gates. Being a huge fan of Toronto’s major league baseball team, The Blue Jays, I sorely wish they’d adopt this stomper as an anthem for the club. The bar is raised even higher with the short length punkiness on the second track, “Let the Neighbours Call the Cops” including a catchy chorus and a nicely achieved solo. This is one that should have you reaching for the stereo knob and mashing the gas pedal down as you rip down an open highway. We find a little more melody reaching the ears via track three, “Come ‘n’ Get It”, versus the brow beating of the first two compositions.

The punk flavorings return in full force with the profanity filled “Roll”. A little slower paced melody surfaces again in White Hot Heat‘s second-longest track, one of only two over four minutes, “Crusader”. Thankfully it’s back to the barn burning anthems with “Eyes on the Prize”, just my preference. With a title like this next one has, I can’t help myself but chuckle every time I hear “Pervert Alert”. It’s actually a fantastic song in my mind featuring a heavy chord riff throughout the verses.

Another solid rocker with “White Russian Roulette” takes the listener through to “Man Meat”. Yes, you did read that title correctly! Even more comical should it have followed up “Pervert Alert”. The White Hot Heat album wraps up with the longest running track of the collection in “Stealing Thunder”. Yet another punch in the face hard driving rocker leaving you on a high note and craving more Amorettes!

Conclusion

Amorettes have served up a beefy plate of riffage-loaded, simple hard driving tunes in their third outing, their influences of bands such as AC/DC, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Girlschool and Thin Lizzy shining through.

Having set stages for the likes of Thunder, Black Stone Cherry, W.A.S.P., Danko Jones, Black Star Riders, Europe and Sebastian Bach, The Amorettes show no signs of slowing down. Having been described as “Like Airbourne fronted by Joan Jett“ and a “Female Motorhead“ White Hot Heat is the crowning glory of the Amorettes trilogy with hopefully many more installments to come!