Glen Matlock – Consequences Coming Review

Pooling the influences and collaborative notes Glen Matlock gathered during his time alongside great artists, Consequences Coming is a conclusion to those inspirations. A new album from the former Sex Pistol is a welcome return after the solid work found on previous album Good To Go. Quality guitar music paired with biting political intonation strikes through on opening track Head On A Stick, and it follows on through to the title track Consequences Coming well enough. It changes the charms of the previous album, a turn that marks Matlock’s latest as a well-paced knock at the powers that be. Solid rock was the efforts Matlock provided with The Philistines, and despite a break from that tag, Consequences Coming is a versatile rock album that bursts to life with its fourth track.

All those guitar solo interludes, the riffs and rises that Bryan Adams would be proud of, are featured within. Forgettable third-track Magic Carpet Ride feels a little floaty in its naming but does little to dedicate itself to any unique qualities. Standard rock numbers flow through this thirteen-track album, although the guitar work on a few standout tracks, namely Speaking In Tongues, is a clear highlight. Nothing to do with that of Talking Heads’ album, but the main draw of Consequences Coming is the work put into these instrumentals. They feel certifiably Richard Hawley in their level of quality at times. Speaking In Tongues is the definitive highlight. A track showcasing how crucial octave shifts can be in making or breaking a rock-and-ready album.

Shine Off Your Shoes continues that quality. Spitting harsher guitar tracks through the middle of the album provides Matlock with a style that moves him away from the stuffy, claustrophobic ways of the genre. Consequences Coming shifts its momentum with a sudden swing toward darker material. Constant Cravings is a strong track too, those grim patterns followed to the letter. It is, as Matlock’s track showcases, a Step in the Right Direction. Another quality song that relies on, more than anything else, the instrumentals. It is constant and quality, drowning out the lyrics at times, but the solid rock-oriented life of Consequences Coming depends on that working almost entirely.

Absolute quality is on the cards for Consequences Coming, an album that showcases the vocal talents of the former Sex Pistols member. What was a simple rock album becomes an entertaining project with more than enough variety. Ballad-like strokes on Tried to Tell You gives way to a neat guitar solo that wraps up the song nicely. It is a quality like that which gives Consequences Coming an edge to display its political rebellion. Matlock’s flushed and anger-driven meditations are worth listening to. He forms a strong guitar album, the qualities that formed the best of the genre found with great quality and no obligation to the poor runs of form other contemporaries toiling away in this genre have suffered from. Real quality guides Matlock and company on this release, a solid working of traditional rock roots, elevated by some interesting pockets throughout.