After two very promising EPs, Octane finally release his first album. Simply titled "Back In The Game", as if to end this period of lack of live performances, the album smells like Jack Daniel's, sweat and gasoline, and goes back to a powerful and direct hard rock.
"Back In The Game" also marks a major line-up change with the departure of Mali, the second voice of the band. Octane is now a trio, a format that seems to fit perfectly as the formula of the "power trio" makes sense from the first bars of 'You Make Me Hight'. This Hard Rock track is like an uppercut in the face. Alex's voice is incredible, and the singer seems to be finally freed from the constraint of sharing the vocals.
The striking and direct tracks follow one another in a vein close to Five Finger Death Punch for the dirty side of the riffs which smell good the mid-west on 'Evil' and 'Bring Me Down' or of Koritni for the pure hard rock energy in some tracks like 'Midnight Riders' or 'Do You Remember My Name'. As for 'My Last Goodbye', it stands out by its jerky riff like a machine-gun and its catchy chorus. The whole is very homogeneous and the band finally chose the eponymous title as a single to promote the album but could have just as well taken any of the seven others.
All the ingredients fit together perfectly and are sublimated by an exceptional production signed by David Potvin of Dome Studio in Angers. The sound is huge, round and powerful at the same time. It emphasizes the bass of the rhythm section and Alex's deep and rocky voice for a result that fits perfectly with the trio's music.
Octane is a power trio, a real one, which throws us a powerful and direct hard roc with a huge sound. And the pleasure is immediate. A bit short, of course, considering the half hour of music offered to us. "Back In The Game" marks the entry of the trio in a new dimension and propels them directly on the front of the stage.