Tora Tora - B*stards of Beale

New studio album from bluesy hard rockers Tora Tora. Features all four original members.

In 2017, Memphis rockers Tora Tora were approached by Frontiers Music Srl about recording a proper new studio album and they enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity. The resulting new album, Bastards of Beale, brings back the magic of the band's blues-rooted hard rock sound that gained them a loyal following upon their debut in the late 80s.

Always a far cry from their more polished mainstream peers and more spiritually connected to blue collar hard rock, the band's return picks up where they left off, while not sounding even the slightest bit dated.



01. Sons Of Zebedee
02. Giants Fall
03. Everbright
04. Silence The Sirens
05. Son Of A Prodigal Son
06. Lights Up The River
07. Let Us Be One
08. All Good Things
09. Rose Of Jericho
10. Vertigo
11. Bastards Of Beale

Sounds good to me. Singer doesn't hit those high notes like he used to, but sounds great on this tune. He's keeping within his range without sounding strained. Me likee!!

That does sound good. I'd pick this up. It would fit in nicely with Surprise Attack and Wild America.

Surprised me, that was good, i'll check out more.

Oh yeah! I’ve waited a long time for this. They were one of my favorites back in the day.

'Nother song...
This one has a pretty sweet groove going on.

Sexy!!

Liking that one too. Sounds like they made an album they like and didn't try to fit any trends.

Not bad for a Frontiers title. Still, is this pretty much consistent with Tora's previous output? I'm not terribly familiar with the band outside of one album, and even then I only remember a couple of songs.

Both of these tunes are great! I love (and still spin) the first 2 albums a ton. Very psyched for this release.

Yeah I think I'll pick this one up as well.

I'll pick this up just based on the title.

I lived in Jackson, TN (about 25-30 miles from Memphis if memory serves) back in the late 80s.  I actually saw Tora Tora at the Omni New Daisy on Beale Street around 1988 or so before their first album broke. So the "Bastards Of Beale" strikes a note for me.

tohostudios wrote:

I'll pick this up just based on the title.

I lived in Jackson, TN (about 25-30 miles from Memphis if memory serves) back in the late 80s.  I actually saw Tora Tora at the Omni New Daisy on Beale Street around 1988 or so before their first album broke. So the "Bastards Of Beale" strikes a note for me.

So, Toho, honest question, do these new tracks sound enough like the original Tora Tora?

I think they do. The only genuinely noticeable difference is the lead singer's vocals aren't as high-pitched as they were back in the day, which is fine by me.

I'd rather him sing in a voice that's more natural instead of trying to hit impossibly high notes that he can no longer reach.

At this stage in their career it's hard to imagine them getting any closer than this to their sound back when they first broke. Sounds like the same formula to me. The vocals sound a bit closer to their only recently released third album "Revolution Day."

I'm spinning Surprise Attack and can hear the similarities more now. I don't think I've heard that album since cassette tapes. It's nice to hear it again.

What does everyone generally think of Wild America? I never even knew it existed until today.

I like Wild America a little more then Surprise Attack, it's a more consistent release imo.

My favorites off of Wild America are "Cold Fever" and "Nowhere to Go But Down."

I've always been partial to Surprise Attack due to Walkin' Shoes and Phantom Rider. Wild America is really good too.

"Wild America" is good, but in my opinion, "Surprise Attack" is excellent. Had that on Vinyl ( a promo copy) back in the day and one of the first dozen or so cassettes/ vinyl I bought on disc when I got a player.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

'Nother song...
This one has a pretty sweet groove going on.

Sexy!!

Great tune! It's probably just me, but musically, this reminds me of late '70's Sabbath. Especially the riff and the drums.

On a somewhat related note, I keep waiting for the prices to drop on the FnA releases of these guys, but they just never seem to. I think I am just gonna have to bite the bullet and buy 'em. I've read lots a luke warm reviews that's why I am dragging my feet. Anybody here got these and like 'em?

Wild America is good but I’ll always be partial to Surprise Attack for nostalgia reasons.I think this new one is going to be a natural progression from where they were at.

Corpl, check out Revolution Day if you haven’t already.Its a good album as well. It was recorded in the early 90’s but shelved by the label and wasn’t released til 2011.

Thanx fellas, this is turning into another fun journey.

007 wrote:

I've always been partial to Surprise Attack due to Walkin' Shoes and Phantom Rider. Wild America is really good too.

I like both albums, but if pressed, I'd have to go with Surprise Attack as well. I remember hearing 'Walkin Shoes' in a strip club and going to Tower the next day to get the tape.

I listened to the album today. While it is definitely in the same style that Tora Tora has always done, it's unfortunate that this album sounds more like a demo recording than a fully mastered album--especially the drums.

Seriously, the rough recordings of the previously unreleased third album Revolution Day, which were circulated in bootleg circles throughout the early 2000s, sound better than what they put out on this release. This is one that Frontiers obviously invested next to nothing into.