ALBUM OF THE MONTH
A classic rock tour-de-force album, Scarlet Rebels return this month with a stomping collection of classic rock songs that will be the perfect soundtrack to any road trip – whether that be a Thelma and Louise- style drive across the Mid-West, or a slightly more modest drive to Tesco’s for the weekly food shop.
Jesting aside, Scarlet Rebels seem set to score their third-consecutive top 20 album in the Official Album chart, powered by a passionate and growing fan base – which puts them alongside Wagons and Crows at the forefront of the contemporary scene for classic rock music. After the trail-blazing success of the grassroots-backed ‘See Through Blue’ peaking at Number 7 – and the Top 20 follow-up ‘Where The Colours Meet’ – Scarlet Rebels could have wilted under the pressure to deliver again, but this album oozes two very powerful qualities. First, the album has a self-assured confidence to it – and in the right way. After earning the right to get the step-up in attention and coverage the band richly deserve, with ‘Flawed By Design’ there is a feel, start to finish, that the band knows exactly what they want to be about; a sense of self-belief and calm purpose on what they want to record as the sound that denotes their musical brand identity. Second, this collection of songs is the most cohesive album they have put. It’s classic rock and it bangs pretty much start to finish. The songs are well-written, there’s no filler – this feels like the ‘Reckless’ album in their catalogue. If you’re in the mood for striking rock riffs, thumping drums and great choruses, this album delivers in spades – and relentlessly so.
Is it the band’s best album though? That’s a very different question and possibly the wrong question to ask. The flip-side of ‘Flawed By Design’ being cohesive is the range of songs is quite narrow and they working within a sonic style framework. For instance, there’s no vulnerable ballads akin to ‘Heal’ or (the original version of) ‘Practice Run’ or the melodic pop lushness of a ‘These Days’ or the humble, summertime Petty-esque ditty ‘Stand Up Be Free’ – or the haunting and abstract political lament of ‘See Through Blue.’ A view on all this is subjective and will differ depending on what each individual listener is looking for. For those that want a belt-and-braces classic rock album, ‘Flawed By Design’ may well become the favourite in the band’s catalogue. Personally, I have always loved the diversity of colours and styles the band can deliver on an album and, while I celebrate the power that is on this album, I reflect too on the moments I think are missing – the deviations from the classical rock stompers that have often delivered moments of song-writing magic.
Irrespective of personal song and style preferences, the quality of music on this album is assured. Since I started our interviews over time in 2017, Wayne has always been an artist about good songs and with the humble wish for his music to be heard. The band has delivered on good songs and, with the talented people around the band today, their music will be heard. And that is something to celebrate.
The album starts with the singles known to Rebels’ fans – and the pace and intensity of the opening tracks are enough to make you want to settle down and give the album time and attention. ‘God’s Honest Truth’ delivers good lyrical depth, Wayne has always written words – stories sometimes – with meaning and heart. As with so many Rebels songs, Wayne’s vocal range (and the way it contrasts) between verse and chorus is powerful and the band delivers some classical rock intensity with a hint of Americana flavour, perhaps going back to the song’s early genesis.
‘This Is Happening Now’ follows and is a signature Rebels banger. A bit of a wake-up call lyrically; from Boris to food banks, the band has always had a hint of social comment and protest in some of their songs – as a band with the words Scarlet and Rebels in their name probably should. A good guitar solo – in fact the whole album is a big tick for anyone that likes soaring guitar solos that hit you between the eyes – and without warning.
‘Don’t Look Down’ is another energetic rocker, as is ‘Chains.’ I wasn’t a huge fan of the backing vocals on the chorus, but this is more about production and seems to have become a bit of a style thing on the last two albums. Wayne’s soaring vocal doesn’t need a soft backing vocal for choruses. A personal preference – and I’m probably in a minority – I’d just like the backing vocals on choruses for powerful songs (if they’re even needed) to rage and soar, rather than be soft and polite.
Already at this point of the album it’s pretty unrelenting stuff, which is why I referenced the Bryan Adams ‘Reckless’ album at the start. Scarlet Rebels could do the whole album live on their forthcoming tour before playing tracks from other albums. It feels like an album made to take on the road and it works as a cohesive body of full-blooded classic rock.
‘Stuck’ for me was possibly a more interesting radio song than some of the singles already released, but what do I know about this now! This song felt a bit more old-school Rebels. A good song, as is ‘Hanging On A Rope’ which I think might become a live favourite among the Rebels faithful. A good interplay here between lyrically strong verses and very catchy, singalong choruses.
With ‘Happy Ever After’ I was hoping we’d be in for something different until the rock riffs came in and kept the song in synch with the overall sonic style palette. A good song but from its early bars I felt this song could have deviated from the classical rock sound that, on one hand, makes the songs so cohesive but, on the other hand, can potentially limit the ability for other things to grow in their own creative direction. A good song, but perhaps a missed opportunity to broaden the light and shade on the album overall.
‘Never Be Enough’ – I really enjoyed this one and along with ‘Let It Out’ there’s no running out of energy or ideas as the album powers on with intent and clear purpose.
My only quibble was the final track ‘Fool Your Heart’ which, for me, jarred a bit. Every music fan loves a ‘we are the champions’ kinda moment at a gig – hands in the air with lights from mobile phones creating one of those communal gig moments. This song delivers on that but for me it’s too 80s power-ballad in style and delivery. Thinking about the supreme ballads the band has done in the past like ‘Heal’ of ‘Practice Run’ there is a vulnerability and un-stylised truth to them that is something only Wayne can pen that brings moments of music perfection. It may well be that the production approach to this album, and the heavy focus on classic rock riffs, showy solos and drum style prevents some of the other music moments from happening. Many will disagree with me on ‘Fool Your Heart’ – many fans I’m sure will love it – but, for me, it was a safe rock power ballad, almost a pastiche, rather than capturing the pure moments that previous Rebels ballads have captured so well.
Overall, this is a very good album. It is cohesive, it marks an evolution in the band’s desired sound and the way the team is working in the studio. It is their top-to-bottom rocking album in the Rebels catalogue and it will land well in the classic rock space. On all those fronts it delivers – and when you’re in the mood to rock out, it will delight you.
There’s also a level of professionalism to the band, which I associate with a few other bands in Scarlet Rebels’ peer group. A band that has grown up, a band that has learned if you want to have your music heard you have to do more than just write some good songs. This is a bonafide classic rock album, a sellable album, an immersive experience on a slab of vinyl – and the playing and production are quality-assured throughout. Now I am away from being a radio producer and presenter, I see the rock music and scene with different eyes and I also look into it from the relative perspective of other genres that I now operate it. For 15 years or so, we have talked about a ‘new’ rock scene; we’ve all used words like ‘new’ or ‘emerging’ or ‘modern’. In truth, for the good of the rock genre at large, we need to make the transition. There are still great bands out there in their later years still doing greatest hits tours, which is fine. A few of these shows I have been to, my warm sense of nostalgia for what I enjoyed in my teenage years was beginning to be mixed with part of me conceding to myself ‘come on guys, it’s time to stop.’ The problem is these legacy bands still dominate the covers and playlists of the big rock media. I think the moment is coming when we need to call time on this, and decide it’s time to put the primary focus on today’s great rock bands that are the toast of the present and also the promise for the genre’s future. Scarlet Rebels alongside Those Damn Crows, Massive Wagons and Florence Black are possibly the keystones of the today’s rock scene – and we need to push the flag carriers more in order to build opportunities for others that also need a spotlight. This album confirms Scarlet Rebels place in that quartet of flag-carrying rock bands – as one today’s household names we should mention when we talk about British rock today. They’ve done their apprenticeship, the practice run is over, and if the music fans pull together and land Rebels a third consecutive charting album then we have the prospect of our next arena-filling rock band on our hands. And few have worked as hard for it as Scarlet Rebels.
Flawed Dy Design is released by Earache Records on 13 November. Pre-order a copy of the album at www.earache.com/scarletrebels
Listen to some of the many Great Music Stories archive interviews with Scarlet Rebels here:
The making of Flawed by Design (2026)
Scarlet Rebels tribute special (2022)
