FREEWAYS - True Bearings LP

CANADIAN HEAVY ROCK...WITH A NWOBHM VIBE! Indeed, Freeways are a breath of fresh, northern air. Honoring the mystical undercurrents of so much classic Canadian rock of the past, the quartet's sound is firmly built upon a foundation of '70s giants - such as UFO, Thin Lizzy, and April Wine - along with the distinctive twists of the unsung heroes of the NWOBHM. It's a sound that's immediately familiar but also immediately engaging, so richly rendered are these soul-stirring odes to wanderlust, melancholia, and "Survival" itself. Now, at long last arrives Freeways' full-length debut. Likewise aptly titled, True Bearings roves wild, rough terrain, but with ease that only comes from many road-worn years. Each of these seven songs is anchored to a plaintive, poignant hook, tastefully embellished with subtly delicate touches that proves Freeways as masters of mood. The quartet's interplay is untouchable here, given that their chosen idiom is the more-or-less hard(er) end of rock, exhibiting class and poise every step of the way, but perhaps no better evinced than on the near-seven-minute vamp of "Time is No Excuse." The 37-minute True Bearings is a highway worth cruising time and time again.