If you’re a neo-classic rock group, you’re duty-bound to attempt a double album at some point. The follow-up to the TREAT‘s remarkable sophomore effort Phonography, Audio Verité/Deceptive Blends essentially combines its third and fourth LPs into one package. Though divided into four parts – “Side Rock,” “Side Acoustic,” “Side Electric,” “Side Experiment” – in truth the album mixes and matches as it sees fit, with a stronger folk rock element than in records past. That’s not saying much, though – MICHAEL HYDER and his troop always make a virtue of eclecticism, and this record is no different. As before, the band casually masters heavy grunge (“Massive Attack”), whimsical folk (“By the Sea”), moody psychedelia (“Silent Voices”), rockin’ pop (“This is the One”), groovy blues-rock (“Farmer Jack’s Tree”) and mixtures of all of the above (“Citizen of the World”). Unsurprisingly for an album this jam-packed, the tunestack could’ve been trimmed a bit (the jammy folk-pop cut “Fan the Flames” starts to irritate fairly quickly and “Little Fly” proves that no one needs to emulate JANDEK), but overall AV/DB is an explosion of talent.

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CLASSIC ROCK featured THE TREAT as one of a new crop of up and coming progressive bands to watch in the August 2008 issue of the magazine. They included the track Meadowland on the cover mount CD & printed the piece below.

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Phonography has been reviewed in this month's edition of Classic Rock magazine, by the legendary Geoff Barton (formerly editor of Sounds, Kerrang & now Editor At Large of Classic Rock)....and a good review it is too......!

The Treat: it’s only Xerox ‘n’ roll.

THE TREAT __________________________ Phonography __________________________ Rockular Recordings Belying their instrumental limitations, Oxford three piece The Treat have Created an idiosyncratic album full of Numerous twists and turns.Socio- Political commentary is the name of The game on tearaway tracks such as Fanfare For The King (‘He’s been digging for black gold to grease his own machine’) and The Deathday Parties, which is ‘dedicated to the two B’s - how can you sleep?’ Hmm…we can assume they’re not referring to Buster Bloodvessel. Elsewhere Bolivian Diary is a Deceptively jaunty ode to Che Guevara-style revolutionaries; Meadowland (a track on last issue’s free prog CD) is a clever critique of the urbanisation of Britain’s countryside that name checks nursery-rhyme characters (‘If Doctor Foster goes to Gloucester/He’ll step in a pool of acid rain’); and Black Cat Whites is a madcap Syd Barrett-esque ode to an extremely fat feline. 7/10

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The review below is in the current issue of Rock'n'Reel, the roots, rock, blues magazine.

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The Treat    Phonography

Rockular Recordings

The Treat are an Oxford based trio playing a hard guitar led mixture of indie and classic rock. This, their second album, demonstrates a new level of maturity and a step up in the quality of the song writing from their debut in 2004. Where the first album was a straight rock album, this one has a bit of variety with the acoustic blues of Haitian Mourning Dress, the grungier Make You Crawl, and the Faces-like Too Late. I haven't had a chance to catch them live yet, but I hear they put on a good show. MB

Review in Classic Rock Society Magazine

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The Treat - Phonography

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Independent Catalogue #: RRT02 Year of Release: 2008 Time: 48:02 Info: The Treat Samples: Click here

Tracklist: Fanfare For The King (5:41), Make You Crawl (3:36), The Deathday Parties (3:22), Bolivian Diary (4:30), Roaming (2:55), Meadowland (3:32), Haitian Mourning Dress (2:54), Too Late (4:37), Clutching At Jagged Glass (3:53), Effervescence (4:12), Black Cat Whites (1:59), Erased (5:55)

The Treat, a three piece band from Oxford, show themselves to be a power trio in the traditional sense, the pure joy of making music with guitar bass and drums shining through. The first couple of tracks on this, their second album, sees the band drinking from the same musical well as the pioneering late 60’s early 70’s UK hard rock acts who used traditional blues as a base for exploring new territories; Fanfare For The King kicks things off with confidence, with a great lead guitar fanfare and a rollicking verse which echoes Black Sabbath’s classic Paranoid, whilst Make You Crawl has a swagger and groove that reminds one of early Led Zeppelin. Band main man Mike Hyder’s deep, gritty voice has a hint of Ian Gillan to it, which only emphasises the connection to the period. Yet Make You Crawl also nods towards a harder, alternative rock sound reminiscent of Soundgarden, which starts to hint at the variety of sounds and influences which The Treat proceed to, err, treat us to over the fifty-odd minutes of this disc.

At one extreme we have the hard-edged, politically charged Bolivian Diary, at the other the melodic indie rock of the world weary closer Erased; in between we get the band’s take on traditional blues (Haitian Mourning Dress), edgy new wave (Clutching At Jagged Glass) and Faces-like mod rock, complete with rollicking piano and Hammond (Too Late).

Of most interest to readers of this site will be the tracks which show Hyder’s clear love of Syd Barrett – Meadowland (a gentle, hazy track which could have come from one of Barrett’s solo efforts, and also nods to Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake-era Small Faces) and Black Cat Whites (which echoes Floyd’s Bike a little too closely) – and the instrumental Effervescence, which with its flute work, pastoral guitar jangle and fluidity evokes the spirit of classic English prog bands such as Camel and Caravan.

Overall, not every song is a cracker and The Treat occasionally struggle to come out from the shadows of the bands who clearly influence them, but there’s plenty to enjoy here from a band who clearly know their way around a melody, know how to incorporate a wide variety of styles without seeming disjointed and certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. Kudos to whoever designed the great cover too, which compliments the album’s contents perfectly.

Conclusion: 7 out of 10

TOM DE VAL

DPRP Webzine     www.dprp.net

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Review: The Treat - Phonography

Label: Rockular Recordings

Released: 2007

On Phonography, the Treat not only incorporate a lot of British rock styles from the late 60s and early 70s, but they manage to do it seamlessly and make it fresh. They draw on everything from the raw bluesiness of Led Zeppelin to the grandiose prog of Genesis. Starting off an album with as much bombast as "Fanfare for a King," sets high expectations. In this game, there isn't much room between perfection and silliness and there's no doubt that the Treat are over the top, but what they pull off over the course of the album is rivaled today perhaps only by Bigelf.

The 70s are a curious time in rock history. In the wake of the Beatles-inspired experimentation of the late 60s, a lot of the music began trading its youthful energy for big, fat bombast. So often bands that rehash the 70s fail to correct that problem (and exacerbate it instead), but The Treat tap into only the very best and re-energize it. I can imagine a song like "Too Late," their homage to the Who and Faces, fizzling in the hands of the average purveyor of nostalgia despite being a fantastic song. But The Treat do more than just remake the sounds of the past, they relive them. And they live such a broad range too. They follow up "Too Late" by taking on King Crimson and Genesis. Earlier they live up to Sabbath and Cream and later to Traffic. "Black Cat Whites" jumps back and forth between Syd Barrett and Sweet without missing a beat. It just shows how good a handle they have on the music they love.

Their influences are a who's who of great British rock. Though they do occasionally slip into AOR flatness (for a few moments here and there, not for a few songs), but it's their energy and love that makes the album so exciting. Phonography does pretend that nothing has happened since 1975, but that's not the end of the story. Whether you like Zeppelin or Genesis, Cream or Procol Harem, Jethro Tull or Traffic, Syd Barrett or Sweet, the Who or Queen (I could really just keep going), the Treat has a reinterpretation that is more appreciation than copy.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
 

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Satriani - This category is based solely on technical ability and no one illustrates technical ability and absolutely nothing else better than Joe Satriani.

Zappa - This category is for innovation. In order to score high here, an artist must be successfully pushing musical or performance limits. Unlike Zappa, this won't always correlate to technical skill, but I felt he was the best choice for pure innovation.

*** It is important to note that the Zappa scale is different from the other three. For instance, a 1 on the Aretha scale would be "no soul." On the Zappa scale, a 1 would be a lot of innovation, but the innovation would be entirely bad. No innovation at all would be a 5. So, in a sense, it starts at 5 and goes in a negative or positive direction while the others start at 1 and only increase.

Dylan - This one is just about the songwriting. An artist could score high here and do a terrible job of performing their own great song. Dylan couldn't sing, but when he was on, he sure could write.

Aretha - Who better to represent soul than the Queen of Soul herself. However, don't be confused by the terminology, because this doesn't refer to Soul Music, but the soul of the music or its truth (even if that truth is just about good times).

The overall rating will not just be an average of these four categories, but it will be based on them. I'm not going to disclose the formula, because it may need to be tweaked as I go. Besides, anyone who loves rock and roll should know which is most important.

Labels: 2007, 7, review, rock

posted by bob_vinyl at 1:40 PM

Review by Bob Lange                            

http://www.rnrnonsense.com

REVIEW

Music Review: The Treat - Phonography

Written by Jeff Perkins
Published September 19, 2008

Part of Eurorock

 

Oxford is not only the city of dreaming spires it is also the home of the rock band The Treat. The three piece rock outfit released their first album In Technicolour in 2004. It was, in many ways, a straight ahead rock album with its feet set firmly in the classic heavy rock era of the late sixties and early seventies. Now they bring us Phonography (Rockular Recordings 2008) and it is clear that some changes have been taking place.

The Treat have taken a broader look at the troubled world and have become more outwardly political. Whilst not turning away from the classic driving rock of days gone by, they have added more dimension and texture resulting in a heady mix of styles.

The result is Phonography and it opens with a, recurring, mystical eastern tinge before opening up into the stomping “Fanfare For The King”. This is near ‘time warp’ stuff not only paying homage to the classic rock era but actually re-writing it and adding some freshness. This is clearly a band that has something to say and this track has lyrics that cut to the bone. “Make You Crawl” has a whole cross section of influences with touches of Queens Of The Stone Age, amongst others.  Yet, it has that heavy rock vibe from the early seventies as an irresistible undercurrent. Michael Hyder sings just within his limits and the threesome generate an admirable degree of power.

“Deathday Parties” is again cuttingly direct ‘there is a reason for this season of pain, and all your illusions will bring you only shame’. The highly effective “Bolivian Diary”, for me a clear highlight, has a revolutionary theme while generating a depth of sound that shows this band grew up absorbing classic rock like a sponge. “Roaming” takes us towards, but not quite into, radio friendly territory. Clearly recognizing a good melody when they write it, they are not afraid to build upon it. “Meadowland” shifts an acoustic gear down with a well worked statement about urban sprawl. Combining children’s nursery rhymes in with the edge of what the song says creates a good counter-balance.

A sudden right turn takes us into, “Haitian Mourning Dress”, which drips traditional blues and sits high within the set. The Treat return to classic rock with “Too Late” complete with swirling keys. “Clutching At Jagged Glass” takes us off in a whole host of different directions with a near progressive and edgy feel, which successfully emphasises the word ‘jagged’. Next we are into the psychedelic with the atmospheric and dramatic instrumental, “Effervescence”. Maybe the word ‘effervescence’, (“Effervescent Elephant”), hints at the Syd Barrett, “Bike”, styled opening to the following song, “Black Cat Whites”.

Having got the fixation that no-one can write like Syd out of my mind it does highlight the character of the band and how they have mopped up music and pieced it together in their own way. When the track opens out it begins to grow on you. All this leads to a rather disappointing “Erased” that rounds the album off. It’s a strong well written song with plenty of potential but on this cut it misses something.

The Treat have knocked on enough doors and delivered an imaginative collection of styles and influences. Rooted firmly in the music of past generations it is served up with huge dollops of personality. It will be interesting to see where they take it all from here.

Visit The Treat's Official Web Site for newsand information on the band.
 

Email this • Subscribe to this feed

Jeff is a writer who lives in France. He writes DVD inserts, reviews, and has had a book published about David Byron of Uriah Heep. He is 'busy' exploring the rock scene in Europe with his wife Debbie and dog Dylan. It's Dylan that does the writing of course. There are two series to check out - Eurorock & Classic Eurorock.

Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!

Buy from

Phonography
Digital Music Album,

 

Music Review: The Treat - Phonography

Published: September 19, 2008

Type: Review

Section: Music

Filed Under: Music: Rock

Part of a feature: Eurorock

Writer: Jeff Perkins

Jeff Perkins's BC Writer page

Jeff Perkins's personal site

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Metal Perspective Review The Treat - "Phonography" [Rockular Recordings, 2007]   Tracklist: 01. Fanfare for the King 02. Make You Crawl 03. The Deathday Parties 04. Bolivian Diary 05. Roaming 06. Meadowland 07. Haitian Mourning Dress 08. Too Late 09. Clutching at Jagged Glass 10. Effervescence 11. Black Cat Whites 12. Erased 13. The Wedge   The Treat come from Oxford, England and "Phonography" is their second release. They seem to belong to the same league with The Answer and Voodoo Six in terms of common influences (70s driven hard rock), however they are not as one-dimensional as their colleagues. The classic rock sound of Uriah Heep, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple may be their musical keystone, yet they don't confine themselves to it. The first two tracks is the living proof of how Soundgarden would sound if they were releasing albums in the early seventies and The Byrds would be proud to call them their sons on "Meadowland". There's also some pure blues dose on "Haitian Morning Dress" that's being accompanied by some Cream hints (or Rod Stewart's Maggie May if I dare to say this) on "Too Late", which by the way is certainly one of my favorite songs. Wait, the painting hasn't been completed yet. 60s psychedelic progressive springs from "Effervescence" and "Black Cat Whites", which blends Gong with Zappa, to assure us that The Treat have a treat for all vintage rock fans out there. This fact is proven also by the cover artwork, the booklet (lyrics included) and even by the disc appearance that is very similar to Decca logo used for classical music releases. There is of course an indie direction on a couple of songs, something unnecessary and boring in my opinion. Overall, seems they have absorbed their influences and, even though this multidimensional sound of theirs might have caused trouble regarding the cohesiveness of the final result, however they managed to avoid the trap. I think that time is on their side and the future prospects are quite promising. Rating: 7/10 Reviewer: Stefanos Lountzis Rating Guide 10/10: Divine intervention!!! 9/10: Metal monument 8/10: Diamonds are forever 7/10: This is really good, don't hesitate... 6/10: Good second choice, make a notice here 5/10: To be or not to be? Identity crisis 4/10: You must be joking! 3/10: Don't even think about it! 2/10: Maybe you can use it as a Frisbee, who knows? 1/10: Even a drill can produce better tunes 0/10: Run for your lives!!! Rating Guide Band info Genre: Hard Rock Country: U.K. Official Website(s): www.thetreat.co.uk Label's Website(s): -   Current Line-up Mike Hyder (Guitars, Vocal) Dom Lash (Bass, Keyboards) 'Purple' David Hart (Drums, Tabla, Bass Clarinet) Discography Agent 555 (Single) [2005] In Technicolor [2006] Phonography [2007]

	The Treat - Phonography Written by Celtic Bob    Friday, 13 June 2008 The Treat Phonography 2008, Rockular Recordings Rating: 3.5/5   From out of the UK come The Treat with their sophomore release. PHONOGRAPHY is the follow-up to 2004’s IN TECHNICOLOR which received some fantastic reviews. Sounding like Daltry of The Who at times, singer Michael Hyder hold’s his own. His smooth voice mixed with the acoustic guitar and mid tempo songs sets the apart from the other “The” bands. Upon receiving this release I was expecting your typical “The” indie rock band music but I was pleasantly surprised. The music is good and very enjoyable and has received countless spins on player thus far. A few of the standout songs include “Reaming”, “Meadowland” and “Too Late”. Check these guy’s out as they will be big sooner rather than later.

THE TREAT - PHONOGRAPHY



ROCKULAR RECORDINGS

METAL TO INFINITY

The booklet shows this CD isn't a Metal CD. Nevertheless we, from Metal To Infinity, are feeling the need for making a review about this release. I was critical at first but I admit this is a surprising CD.

To be honest this is a flexible trio of musicians who invited some guest musicians for these recordings. Their classic rock reminds me most of all to a more rocking and less Metal kind of Tesla or AC/DC. These lads surely know the history of Rock because also The Beatles and Pink Floyd seemed to be a source of inspiration. On some songs I even hear some grungy parts, like we heard tons of times before in the early nineties.

With only a few chords these guys wrote 'easy on the hear' music, sometimes a bit experimental, on other moments 'poppy' or even 'bluesy'. Sliding guitars are often heard and these rockers have for sure the talent for writing good songs. Don't expect finger fast guitars or devastating riffs but prepare for varied and even intelligent compositions with only a little bit of distortion on the guitars. In my opinion The Treat is a bunch of alternative guys who are honoring their idols from their youth years and far beyond. No, these guys have no original ideas but who are we, Metal heads, to criticize it because also our scene counts plenty of clones.

'Effervescence' for example is a very strong track with multiple varied elements, a 'free rocking' spirit and outstanding musicianship. No doubts these guys know how to play their instruments! I have the feeling, although I don't know these guys, they will not care about bad reviews and they shouldnet. The Treat needs to be proud on this release but they should also try to search their own path.

Michael Hyder, guitarist and singer, is a talented man, even an artist. He has a good voice, wide raging and strong enough. His guitar parts will not blow you away but will, instead, often make you quiet because theyere played with a  lot of feeling. The band also makes use of some classical instruments like the flute, harmonica and clarinet and as usual that gives a special effect if therees no exaggerating.

Pure Metal Heads, who keep on denying all other music genres, shouldnet spend their money on this record. Open minded music fans, interested in some tentative Rock, should really give The Treat a chance because Iem sure there will be no disappointment.. My Points: 80/100 (review by Officer Nice)

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The Treat

CD - Phonography

In this indie age it would be all too easy to put The Treat into the indie pigeonhole! But, The Treat are more than just indie, The Treat shouldn't be tarnished with that 'get out' classification - The Treat probably nestle somewhere in the soft to heavy rock side of things and at times verge on the 'progressive' and occasionally drop into 'blues' mode. Typically British in feel and musical demeanour, The Treat play mature, cultivated rock for the more discerning ear!

Throughout this pretty epically sized album, all thirteen tracks of it, there's a feeling of empathetic unity and hard-nosed experience; the sound is solid but never nerve-jangling, the music is maturely crafted and superbly structured and The Treat give off an feeling of total professionalism and confidence without ever sounding cocky. The Treat sound as if they've been around the block a bit and learned a thing or three. 'Phonography' leaves me with a feeling that I've just been 'touched' by a more worthy entity - The Treat sound familiarly unfamiliar like I've known them for years when in fact this is my first encounter!

'Phonography' by The Treat is a very polished piece, an accomplished piece of work; there's plenty of variation here to keep the interest levels high, lots of light and shade to keep you 'on your toes'. Although The Treat mix it up pretty well here and offer something for almost everyone, they don't actually go anywhere totally new or 'uncharted' - there's nothing obviously innovative, experimental or professionally 'dangerous' here, just loads of subtle and very interesting genre-melding that sets them apart from the indie and rock 'norm'. Hey, that's fine, in fact it's quite cool coz The Treat stay nicely within the bounds of reality, they remain totally believable and quite tangible. What The Treat do, they do bloody well and 'Phonography' is an impressive and accomplished album that's easy to enjoy and a real worker that slowly grows on you with repeat listens.

'Phonography' kinda puts me in mind of all that was good about 70's prog rock - very early Genesis, Jethro Tull, Caravan, that kinda thing but obviously with a modern twist - now that can't be bad can it!! The Treat have impressed me no end with 'Phonography' - this is a big album from a hefty outfit that pack quite a punch when they need to but can also do subtle and understated. 'Phonography' by The Treat is a slightly unusual beast - just different enough to stand out from the crowd but never straying too far from safety!! The more I hear, the more I like - very very tasty, very very enjoyable - quite a cracker actually!!! No, I lie, it's better than that - it's a little beauty!!

Peter J Brown aka toxic pete (www.toxicpete.co.uk)

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THE TREAT ‘PHONOGRAPHY’ (ROCKULAR RECORDINGS)

THE TREAT from the UK are all about Classic Rock, with their debut CD sounding very close to bands like UFO, URIAH HEEP, THIN LIZZY, DEEP PURPLE in the 1970s. ‘In Technicolor’ was the band’s debut album, released in 2004 and it seems like now is the right time to release a follow-up, which musically should also interest fans of bands like FOO FIGHTERS, THE DARKNESS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE ANSWER, WOLFMOTHER, because THE TREAT has a sound not far removed from such popular bands. 11 tracks are included and most of them are pure uptempo 70s Hardrocksongs, with here and there an exception (“The deathday parties”), but overall sounding quite close to the URIAH HEEP of the 1970s, with some DEEP PURPLEish influences and also TRAPEZE, MOTT THE HOOPLE and WILD HORSES and such typical 70s British Rock comes to mind when listening to THE TREAT. With a catchy tune like “Roaming” the band has a hit on their hands! Definitely a great band to check out, highly recommended to fans of Classic 70s British Rock/Hardrock. More info at: www.thetreat.co.uk  and e-mail at: michaelh@pepperlions.demon.co.uk 

(Points: 8.0 out of 10)

STRUTTER ZINE

strutter77.angelfire.com

(Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) 

To the reviews index

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Those who enjoy the moment in time when beat became psych should certainly find much to savour on ‘Phonography’, the new album from The Treat. Opening with a heavy eastern-sounding riff, ‘Fanfare for the King’ kicks things off magnificently before ‘Make You Crawl’ displays defiantly beat tendencies in its riffery. Thing continue in a similar vein until ‘Meadowland’ shifts gears, a gentle psych nursery rhyme with a fine arrangement. From here on in the album gets more varied with some fine freakout guitar on ‘Effervescence’ the icing on the cake, although the short but wonderful ‘Black Cat Whites ‘ deserves a mention too. The cover pushes all the right buttons as well making for an excellent overall package that hits the spot. (www.thetreat.co.uk)

This review was  published in Rumbles for November 2007  and was brought to you by Simon Lewis. Artwork, layout & editing: Phil McMullen.  © Terrascope Online 2007

www.terrascope.co.uk

Buy a copy of Treat - Phonography here.

Find out more about Treat here

Musical phonograffitti! Mon Nov 26 21:57:31 2007	Click the image for a full gallery
Rated 11 out of 13 [details]
by Jim Ody
Click here for more
reviews by this writer.

Oxford's hard rocking band, The Treat, come storming out with what is the usual 'awkward second album' after their great debut, 'In Technicolor' a couple of years back. 'Phonography' is a good follow up album, and when you have already delivered a musically strong debut, it's difficult to know what to do next. Do you follow the same formula with another ten hard-rocking '70's influenced classic rock tracks, or do you branch out and take a few risks? This is obviously a questioned that came rather easily to Mike Hyder, who is not only the singer but the driving force behind the band.

First song, 'Fanfare For The King' has an extremely long intro, which is a theme that tends to run through this album. Sometimes you wish bands would just get on with the song, however in this case it only adds to the charm of the band. This is a band that tips it's hat off to classic guitar-led rock of the '70's and '80's, and in the first song it kicks into a very Black Sabbath-esque stomper, with thick guitar riffs and a slight Ozzy-like vocal. The beat speeds up a bit more for the more stoner rock song, 'Make You Crawl' that nods it's head towards the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age mixed with Soundgarden. 'The Deathday Parties' has a nipple-hardening good beat whilst the song is a slower and more gentle number.

Mike's vocals turn very Robert Plant in, 'Bolivian Diary' that is pure Led Zeppelin whilst being sprinkled with political and socially aware lyrics. 'Roaming' is one of those songs that is simple but very successful. With it's keyboards and melodic guitars it's an instantly likeable song and one of the strongest here, which just goes to show that amongst all of the technically superior songs that have been layered and well crafted, it is the simplistic melodies and happy-go-lucky feel that makes this song so strong.

Next we have a song that I am undecided on whether it is a very good song or a big and unsuccessful risk. It's an acoustic song called, 'Meadowland'which has clever lyrics surrounding famous characters from nursery rhymes being stuck into days world. Like, " There was an old woman that lived in a shoe // She had so many bills, she didn't know what to do // Developers came and bought her home // Now her memories are rubble and stone" sings Mike. Things then turn to classic old school blues for 'Haitian Mourning Dress', and although the song is adequate, the problem that I have with lot of blues music is that it sometimes sounds like my old walkman when the batteries were on their way out. It's a slow plod of a song that is pure blues by numbers, and possibly nothing more.

The tempo raises up with the shuck and jive of 'Too Late' which is a little like The Black Crowes, before the chunky guitar riffs of 'Clutching At Jagged Glass' which is more like the band Clutch with added psychedelic breaks. 'Effervescence' is a chilled out mid-tempo instrumental before the no brainer and slightly bizarre song about the singers cat in, 'Black Cat Whites' which is a little bit like The Eels doing a slow Zeppelin before quick riff-ridden flashes of pure rock heaven. Again it's another of those songs that I'm left wondering whether or not it is a good idea. Apparently this was included to give a lyrical balance, though I'm not sure that it is more a case of over self-indulgence. The low and more rounded song of 'Erased' finishes up the album.

It's clear that with this second album, The Treat, have looked to break out of the box exploring a little more musically and stretching their wings to be a little more than a Led Zeppelin wannabe band. The music has a fair greater range, and as a whole the album is better produced showing a real maturity. The Treat know that they will never be a fashionable band, but it's clear that that is something that Mike has never cared much for as he travels on his musical journey stopping of to take in the sights of other genres periodically.

Anyone who loved 'In Technicolor' will not be disappointed, and along the way 'Phonography' is likely to pick up more than a couple of new fans. It's a good slice of classic rock and that can never be a bad thing.

Track Listing
01 - Fanfare For The King
02 - Make You Crawl
03 - The Deathday Parties
04 - Bolivian Diary
05 - Roaming
06 - Meadowland
07 - Haitian Mourning Dress
08 - Too Late
09 - Clutching At Jagged Glass
10 - Effervescence
11 - Black Cat Whites
12 - Erased

www.roomthirteen.com

and

redtram.com

on Tuesday 15 July 2008 by bato comments: 0 author awarded score: 70/100     Rockular Recordings, 1st August 2008   Phonography is The Treat’s (Oxford based band) new album with 12 songs of the finest and straightforward rock. The album is extremely well-produced and it shows how a classic hard rock album should sound and look (booklet) like in 2008. Everything is done to the perfection, so it is almost too much of good. The band’s approach is very simple and flexible and it can be viewed as both its strength but also as its weakness. This British trio tries to incorporate elements of smooth jazz, Metallica-style epic thrash, to simple yet catchy AC/DC chords and some psycho melodies reminding me most of Pink Floyd and other fellow-British giants. There’re numerous acoustic guitar parts, like in a song “Effervescence” with traditional prog rock, laid-back guitar and some idyll flute sounds. It’s all good, but it lacks some of the energy and power that is so needed in order to catch attention of the wider rock/metal audience. The same goes more or less for another prog rock track “Jagged Glass”, lyrically perfect song, but it needs some punch and some power. Yet it is after all one of the best tracks from this album with its Led Zeppelin-style riffs. On the other hand songs like “Make You Crawl” and “Two Late” with solid voice of Mr. Hyder and some AC/DC alike tunes. There’re also some not so well succeded attempts to break the narrow boundaries of prog/hard rock with a track as Black Cat Whites” where they try to twist and turn the song into the more experimental waters, but not well executed in my humble opinion. However, if you into the late 60s/early 70s style of classic rock/prog rock and bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Queens of the Stone Age etc. then you might find this release interesting. Put it in your stereo and let’s the music speak; don’t judge this material from my own words only, as they sure deserve your attention. Contact info www.thetreat.co.uk www.metalrevolution.com

The Treat - Phonography (Release Year - 2007)

This was weird with a capital ‘W’.

The Treat’s guitarist must be commended for is commanding performance throughout this album, along with his band mates for their precise delivery, excellent heavy bass and powerful vocals which were far from ‘normal’ and displayed with versatile pitch and tone change.

‘Phonography’ has elements of emo and classic rock, with a modern twist I would attribute to the less than run of the mill vocal style.  Delivery is clean and clear, vocals are cocky and confident, and the guitar solos are mind blowing, until you get to the track entitled ‘Deathday Parties’, where the album starts to go a bit pear shaped.  ‘Phonography’ loses momentum at this point, slows down quite dramatically and the vocals begin to drawl.  Then we begin to climb again (bit like the Pepsi Max, this…) with ‘Bolivian Diary’ , which contains lots of sound effects, and some very twisted vocals – quite fast paced, with a blues overtone.  By now, the album had become more upbeat again, with a poppy overtone and cringing karaoke lyrics – exit the rock elements, enter an average, mainstream sound.  ‘Meadowland’ then took this in another direction, and it all got positively weird, with sparse, strumming guitar and vocals that sounded like Murdoch from the A-Team when he does his posh voice, and he’s singing about Nursery Rhyme characters……..  This was bizarre, to say the least, but there was more strangeness to come.  ‘Haitian Morning Dress’ was a country and western disaster song, with lyrics that were very fucking strange, ‘Clutching at Jagged Glass’ had great pace, but the chorus sent it all wobbly, ‘Effervescence’ was an instrumental with loads of flute playing – what the fuck is going on ??????

Then we get to the song about cats.  Yes, you just read that right – cats.  At this point, the vocalist is sounding positively eccentric, like he needs locking up, but then suddenly turns into a male Suzi Quattro, and then quickly back to Mr Insano.

Twelve tracks of head frying madness.  Make of it what you will……

3/5

www.planetthrash.com

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"A solid basis, for forthcoming steps" - Barikada (Bosnia)

"Amazing. This band is 99% of the time NWOBHM" - Georgios Sidiropoulos (Rock DJ, London, UK)

'These songsters of music show to own enough personality to challenge the chart champions of  rock -The Silent Scream (Italy)

Keep the great music coming! - iSOUND.COM

“The Treat” kick out cleanly executed, tight fitting, classic rock but have added a modern style to it. - Hard Rock House (UK)

Full Reviews Below

Treat - In Technicolour

Find out more about Treat here   The treat you can have between meals! Wed Jan 11 05:02:05 2006   Rated 10 out of 13 [details] Click the image for a full gallery by Jim Ody Click here for more reviews by this writer.   Despite my feelings towards Oxford United, the city of Oxford is a nice place and The Zodiac is a great venue, however Oxford band The Treat are, well to be quite frank, an audio treat! With the airwaves still riding high on the popular trash of recent guitar-lead indie it's like a breath of the fresh stuff to have a band that play music straight from the heart, tapped directly into the real roots of rock. Sometimes rock'n'roll, sometimes rhythm and blues - The Treat deliver a rockin' good time! First song 'Burning' starts off with a great classic rockin' riff a little like AC/DC, however if I may be a little critical, for me, Mike's vocals sound as though they need more 'umph' - by that I mean it's almost like the sound is a little low and so he's not quite bellowing out like a guy who's "Burning rock'n'roll" should! There's something very Sixties about 'Don't Think Twice', which sounds just right. Past single 'Agent 555' is a little Black Crows-esque, which is always a bonus with me. Mike's voice sounds at its strongest when singing the original r'n'b - the one that doesn't feature scantily clad dark skinned females shakin' their booties, which isn't to say that I am not averse to listening to said music nor depriving myself of such viewing pleasures. The album's anthem song 'Rock You' has chugging guitars and more than one opportunity to raise your fists and yell! 'Let's Get Beautiful' has Poison riffs and a party-rock feel even mentioning rock lines like, "Let's do the rattlesnake shake!" Pure genius. 'Silver Eye' nods its head towards Led Zepplin with its psychedelic rock and hallucinogenic lyrics guaranteed to have you swaying from side to side or tapping your feet. The 70's classic rock moment near the end is purely majestic. This may not be an original sound but hats off to Mike Hyder, Bassist Andy Sutton and the drumming skills of John Halliday, this is what music is all about. 'The Hunger' sounds almost a little like Blind Melon, and 'Nightclubbing' could well be Soundgarden doing a Zepplin tribute. Having already spent 8 consecutive weeks as the best album in London Skywave Radio's chart, it's easy to see the appeal for some of that classic rock sound to be brought back to life again. The Treat will not be groundbreaking, and they may not be cool, however what they have bundles of is integrity for classic rock, and Lord, do they play it well! So raise your fist and get ready to strum your air guitar, those great days are back again, and this time it's a real treat...     Track Listing 01 - Burnin' 02 - Don't Think Twice 03 - Agent 555 04 - Rock You 05 - Let's Get Beautiful 06 - 24/7 07 - Silver Eye 08 - The Hunger 09 - Nightclubbing 10 - Hypertonic

The Treat -'In Technicolor'

(Rockular Recordings)

"A strange, entirely unique mix between the NWOBHM and The Darkness. Infectious, arresting pop-tinged hard rock with a dose of the blues. A remarkable proposition, The Treat sound like a NWOBHM band with pop sensibilities".

Martin Popoff
(Author : The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs Of All Time)

 www.martinpopoff.com                                                    
                                                                                            www.hardradio.com

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THE TREAT ‘IN TECHNICOLOR’ (ROCKULAR RECORDINGS)

The UK was always very important in the Hardrock/Metalscene, but ever since the early 1990s it seemed like there wasn’t any good new band coming from the UK. The 1990s were a horrible time when it comes to good quality British bands, and in 2003 we even got a very average band called THE DARKNESS who went onto having huge success, although they had a singer who absolutely can not sing! In these desperate times you are longing back to the early 1980s when thousands of new NWOBHM bands came to the scene, and only MAIDEN, SAXON and TYGERS OF PAN TANG survived the 2 following decades. Anyway, now there’s a new band called THE TREAT, and they play a mix of early 80s NWOBHM, Melodic Rock and Poprock. It sounds fresh and completely different than anything else in the UK. Without a doubt, this sounds much better than THE DARKNESS. The lead singer can sing and the songs are catchy, with as highlights great uptempo melodic rockers like “Burnin’”, “Rock you”, “24/7” and “The hunger”. Finally, a good new band from the UK, let’s hope they will get some attention from the British media, and turn one of the above mentioned songs into a huge hit. Almost forget to mention that the band in general reminds me of the early 80s UK acts DEADRINGER, NIGHTWING, RAGE, GEORDIE and EXPORT, so you know a bit what to expect from this little band.

(Points: 8.0 out of 10)

Gabor Kleinbloesem                                                                          Strutter (Holland)
                                                                                                                              www.strutter.8m.com
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THE TREAT -
In Technicolor

Rockular Recordings 2003

Treat yourself to some colourful rock : complicated it ain't.

It takes three to do that, you know? What with the latest tendency of rocking duos, they're more about pretension which leaves little space for real music and humour, and the Oxford trio masters both. The artwork - even the CD itself remindful of the Atlantic Records LP label - tells about the latter, while the former, driven by Mike Hyder's guitar and voice, takes a listener on a mindtrip to the times when rock 'n' roll was something primeval. Opening "Burnin'" is a good specimen of it, a cross between ZEPPELIN and THE CLASH, not only in terms of style, but also in it's depth. Unlike many modern bands, THE TREAT know a way with a melody - a garagey way theirs may be, yet bubbling with the same mid-60's energy that introduced technicolor to the sonic brew. "Hypertonic" lays it all out in declarative detail, and single "Agent 555" has enough wah-wah in the solo and vocal harmonies in the chorus to bite into the charts, so contract shouldn't be too far away. That may mean an end to Hyder's Rockular Recordings though.....but his combo deserve more. 

**** (4 out of 5 stars)

Dmitry Epstein                                                                      Let It Rock (Israel)

                                                                                                      www.dmme.net  _____________________________________________________________________________

HARD ROCK TREAT

Oxford-based rockers The Treat are celebrating the release of their debut album this month.

Formed in 2001 by songwriter-guitarist Mike Hyder, the trio play classic hard rock and indie anthems laced with killer hooks.

After circulating an excellent three-track demo among promoters, it wasn't long before the band were gigging extensively across the country and playing dates in prestigious London venues.

The Treat began this year with a live TV appearancre on Channel Six - The Oxford Channel where they performed a staggering rendition of their first single 'Agent 555'.

Amazingly, the band even found time to record at Shonk Studios in Bicester - with ex-Candyskin John Halliday - and release the resulting album on their own Rockular recordings.

Featuring 'Don't Think Twice' , 'Rock You' and live favourite 'Silver Eye', 'In Technicolor' displays a diverse range of styles reflecting the band member's eclectic tastes and backgrounds.

Together with drummer Mark Thomas and newly-recruited bassist Nuno Lourenco, the band intend to embark on a winter promotional tour - with home dates promised!

'In Technicolor' was made to be played loud and gets full marks for non-stop energy and enthusiasm from us.

It is available now in all good record shops and more information on The Treat can be found at www.thetreat.co.uk. Check them out NOW, before they become 2004's answer to The Darkness!

Marc West                                                                                Oxford Courier (UK)

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© 2004 Riley McDonald and "The Daily Vault."          Daily Vault (USA/Canada)

                                                                                             www.dailyvault.com

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The Treat

In Technicolor

“The Treat” is a hard rock band from Oxford, trying to include in their playing hard rock riffs, indie tinged grooves and pop vocal harmonies.

“The Treat” were found in 2001 in Oxford. The following two years they made a series of  live shows in Oxford, London, Leicester, Dudley, supporting Ken Hensley, Cambridge, and Birmingham.

In 2003 they released their first single “Agent 555”, which was circulates among local media. And recently, the LP is finally out. «In Technicolor» has all the characteristics of the musical taste of the band and its basic composer and guitarist, Michael Hyder, and this is obvious throughout the album…

The album is mostly hard, with fast rhythm and catchy refrains, which will easily stick in your head. It has classic hard rock elements but it also sounds fresh and modern. The opening track, “Burnin’”, is getting you straight to the point. A song that was made for the car (or at least that’s where I listen to it). The rest of the album goes on with the same style: Mid tempo to fast and very fast riffs and rousing refrains. Also, all the solos of the guitar are ideally fit in the songs, without breaking its flow. It’s an album that you are certainly going to like.

One day, I tried to put one song of “In Technicolor” for a friend to listen to. I realized that I could not distinguish which one was better than the rest. Most of them can be listened very easily and will lift your spirits from the first moment you press “Play” on the cd-player. I think that most of the songs would be perfect for live. Anyway, I finally chose “The Hunger” as the best track in the album, but the same thing I could say for at least another 6 songs of the 10-track album.

It’s worth the listening.

George Anasontzis                                                                            Rock Pages (Greece)

http://www.rockpages.gr/rockpages.htm

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Underground Bands

Centred around Oxford based guitarist and songwriter Mike Hyder, three-piece outfit The Treat have spent much of the last two years gigging up and down the UK, playing venues such as the Garage and the Hope & Anchor in London and a support with ex Uriah Heep man Ken Hensley. A feast of 70s style rock, their debut album, "In Technicolor", was launched in October. Highlighting a competent band with much to recommend, tracks such as the pacey straight forward rock of  "Burnin'", the pumping pace of "Rock You", and the excellent head bobbing of  "Let's Get Beautiful"    show a style and maturity that point to good things ahead for the band.

Mark Hoaksey                                                                                      Powerplay (UK)

                                                                                                powerplaymagazine.co.uk

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<the treat> <"in technicolor"> <rockular recordings>

In case you have been living in Siberia for the past twelve months the UK music industry has been seized by the snakelike grip of old fashioned rawk music. In a movement led by The Darkness we are told that rock is now cool again (when wasn't it?) and the doors are open to bezillions of other bands to come and rock out for the record buying masses.

One of these bands is The Treat, a three piece from Oxford which has already earned the plaudit "2004's answer to The Darkness" and who are doing very well in all kinds of places ranging from the UK to Chile.

I would be very wary of any band compared to The Darkness but in The Treat's case I can see the reviewer's point. "In Technicolor" does sound very retro in its approach to its music. When the album launches into opening song "Burnin'" the guitar part almost sounds like Iron Maiden and the vocalist has a clarity in his words that I haven't heard since Ian Anderson picked up a flute and formed Jethro Tull. The one major difference between The Treat and The Darkness is that where The Darkness are all the flamboyance and pomp The Treat are much more a denim and leather band - perhaps playing Saxon to The Darkness's Kiss.

All the songs on this album are proper old skool rock with lyrics about cars, girls, drugs and rock 'n' roll. The melodies are simple and solid and at times sound almost poppy because of their light tuneful verses and choruses. The band are consistently stylistic with their music mixing Led Zep and Van Halen style influences with pop-rock writing to create a great rock album. It's also interesting to note how honest the band are in their songwriting. Whilst much new rock music is hitting a much younger demographic this album definitely has a more mature feel to it. Whereas the over 35's at gigs these days are often the parents stood at the back looking out for their children, you really feel like if you went to see The Treat, the grown ups would be the ones up front (which is how it should be).

"In Technicolor" is a very honest very rockin' set of songs and it's also an album that never tries to be something it's not. It's all about old skool rock, un-PC lyrics and having a good time with a guitar. Not everyone will like it but those who do will be at The Treat's gigs every time the band come to town.

<emma farrer>

                                                                             This Is Not TV (Manchester, UK)

                                                                                                    www.thisisnottv.com

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www.TheTreat.co.uk

The Treat : In Technicolor Review: This is my first review for Musicmayhem.com, so I'm glad it doesn't have to be a bad one. These guys are pretty good! If you like straight ahead rock with a catchy, poppy feel, then check these guys out. There are a trio from Oxford, and you can tell they've been influenced by such bands as the Beatles. I found some of these tunes rolling through my head all day. Great guitar work, and good lyrics. The production quality on this CD was fantastic. I was blown away by how technically good it sounded. The case had a great cover, and complete liner notes with lyrics printed.   Favorite Tracks: "Don't Think Twice", "Agent 555","Let's Get Beautiful" Least Favorite Track: "Silver Eye"   By Ryan Lane        www.musicmayhem.com

The Treat

Rockular

Dissatisfied with every contemporary trend in rock music (and who can blame them?), The Treat have decided to shut their eyes and ears to the last few decades and pretend they never took place, going so far as to design a circular band logo straight out of the mescaline-laced '60s to complete the ruse. Likewise, the band's debut album, In Technicolor, does not simply evoke general comparisons to the gods of classic rock -– it is classic rock, direct and unmitigated.

For this Oxford-based three piece, rock 'n' roll was and still is a way of life; the other two components being the oft-mentioned sex and drugs. Listening to rock means waking up just before lunch on a stained mattress on the floor of a seedy apartment next to a blonde (dyed, of course), lighting a cigarette, taking a pull of what looks and smells like bourbon straight from the bottle and wondering just how the hell you got here after that killer show last night. The music on In Technicolor -- with all its unabashed homage to Sabbath, AC/DC, Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, et al -- celebrates that questionable existence. Meanwhile, Radiohead is finding new ways to criticize the crushing pointlessness of modern life just across town.

What The Treat do, they do very well. The opener, "Burnin'," is highly charged stuff, geared for the folks in the audience who came to rock. "Agent 555," the album's first single, is catchy and anthemic, especially for those looking to score some hard shit from the guy loitering in the gents' toilet. And so it would be a mistake to dismiss this outfit just because it happens to be so resolutely retro as to be unfashionable, even in these desperate, originality-starved times of ours. If you offer the devil sign (the two middle fingers held down by the thumb, pinkie and pointer extended) without irony when something pleases you, enjoy more than your fair share of air guitar in mom's full-length mirror, drive around in a beat-up auto while yelling flirtatious obscenities at girls out the passenger window and consider Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure the apex of cultural achievement, The Treat will fit your musical bill exactly. The same goes for listeners who tend to deviate from this callous stereotype slightly. Not surprising, angst-ridden fans of Limp Bizkit, Hundred Reasons, Linkin Park and the like won't find much here. Neither will the dance crowd. But should straightforward rock 'n' roll hedonism ever regain its once-lofty status, The Treat might even recruit a few converts from among their ranks.

Eric J. Iannelli                                                                            Ink19 (Florida, USA)

                                                                                                        www.ink19.com

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In Technicolor The Treat (Album) Reviewed by Adam Harrold Tracks:Burnin', Don't Think Twice, Agent 555, Rock You, Let's Get Beautiful, 24/7, Silver Eye, The Hunger, Nightclubbing, Hypertonic.

Admittedly, “In Technicolor” has been around for some time now, but upon discovering a decent British rock album it often seems a little irresponsible not to tell others. If attention isn’t drawn to as many good new rockers as possible, then it could well be that we’ll see the country fall under the dark veil of musical bollocks once more. And since the noughties (for want of a better word) has so far been very welcoming to so many rock bands, it’s about time you were introduced to The Treat. Dabbling with the sound of the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and even a little bit of The Beatles, The Treat manage to tread a well-worn but let’s face it popular path. Main man Mike Hyde’s vocals might not be as distinctive as Jagger, but he certainly knows how to lay down a fat guitar riff – see “Hypertonic” – which more than gets him off the hook. “Burnin’” and “Agent 555” are two other highlights from an album that has much to recommend it by. Both songs have memorable choruses which no doubt explain the regular radio plays that both songs are receiving at the moment. It’s difficult to say where The Treat will go from here, but “In Technicolor” is a debut release that is well worth checking out. Hopefully the next album, being recorded this summer, will build upon this commendable start. RockSomething.com © 2005

In Technicolor (Rockular Recordings)

Oxford rockers The Treat bring their hard-edged indie music to the Bullingdon on Sunday, to promote their new album In Technicolor.

Mike Hyder and his band have attracted comparisons with the Stones, Neil Young and even a poppy AC/DC.

The band play original material, with the emphasis on putting on a great live show.

Their album, recorded at Shonk Studios in Bicester, was released earlier this month on Oxford-based Rockular Recordings. A 10-track slab of everything you can expect from a Treat gig, it features tough guitar riffs, softer pop and catchy melodies.

Go on - treat yourself....

Tim Hughes                                                                                        Oxford Mail (UK)

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The Treat - In Technicolor Buy it from InSound   Get this on iTunes Apparently Spinal Tap was a real band. They really could crank it up to eleven. Otherwise we wouldn’t have bands like The Treat who do their best damn impression of that fake band. True they can’t really shake the “The” band quality that has inundated popular music for the past couple of years but they’re more Stones than The Strokes or The Hives could muster. - J-Sin                                                                                          smother.net

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 THE TREAT  " In Technicolor "                       ( Rockular Recordings )
                         
               A new hope for the British rock scene is a band called The Treat.

They are a trio, lead by main person, author, composer and guitar player, Mike Hyder.
" In Technicolor" shows a group as a band with intensive indie attitudes. Their songs are mostly mid tempo, and the band musically cover impressive harmonies and a pop vocal style. Their lyrics are about women, fast cars and similar themes. They try to equalize urban psychology and a conventional mainstream approach with current, trendy media attitudes. They are very comparative with The Darkness, but that fact is not an advantage for the group.
               Generally, we can regard "In Technicolor" as a solid basis, for forthcoming steps.
 
               Rating : 7 / 10      

Bane Lokner                                                                              BARIKADA - BOSNIAN site/zine

                                                                                                   http://www.barikada.com/default.aspx.
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4/5
THE TREAT
In Technicolor
2003
Rockular Recordings
melodic hard rock
This band seems to be a total newcomer in the world of hard rock music. At least no interactive or printed encyclopedia provides even a couple of words about the UK-based combo. Music-wise The Treat sounds like a cross between Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and the more obscure glam rock likes of Jetboy. Sloppy and funny lyrics are surely taken from Steve Tyler and glamour-bands in general while the performance is obviously Led Zeppelin-ish. Most of the tracks sound brave and up-tempo but the lack of guitar attack and drum power make them sound like Poison (if it could have emerged in the 1970s) but nothing like KISS. At the same time such a bravery of sound and one hundred percent rock'n'roll attitude make The Treat look like no other hard rock band. If this sounds like you cup of whiskey - you may want to give this one a try. (Dead Ripper)

                                                                                                       Metal Kings (Russia)

                                                                                                                 metalkings.com

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Advance Three Track Promo of 'In Technicolor' :

Agent 555/Nightclubbing/Silver Eye

Back in the sixties, when Mr Fleetwood and Mr Mac were looking for a guitar player after their own guy had shot himself/got Jesus/busted (delete as appropriate), they were checking out a candidate called Peter Green, slogging away onstage at some godawful bloodletting-Tuesday-night-three-men-and-a-dog-spit-and-sawdust yowl-in. Mr Fleetwood points at Green and says: ‘Oi’ve heard enough, mate. That bloke only plays three chords.’ Mr Mac, clearly the brains of the outfit, strokes his not-insubstantial beard and returns: ‘Yeah. But don’t ‘ee play ‘em well?’

These were pretty much my reactions to The Treat. The group seem to have a legion of influences, mostly old and including AC/DC, Led Zep and the Chili Peppers. The latter is prominent on the single ‘Agent 505’,a driving and funky hymn of praise to the pharmaceutical inventory of said Agent. The music is bright, bouncy and spirited with strong, clear (although not always in tune) vocals, capped by a simple but effective chorus reminiscent of the Stones at their best. The best way to hear this is probably on the jukebox of the Gloucester Arms; I’m sure the rocking gentlemen of that establishment would give this number a fair wind. Let's hope the landlord’s reading this!

The next tune, ‘Nightclubbing’, is a disappointment. More hectic than ‘Agent’ but far less memorable melodically, it’s burdened by a tedious lyric, again devoted to artificial highs (haven’t these guys ever tried paintballing?). The motto of the band seems less ‘sex, drugs and rock n’roll’ than ‘drugs, drugs and a side order of garlic bread’. Fortunately, ‘Silver Eye’ picks up the slack. The Eye in question is a sort of Tolkienesque palantir (or Orwellian telescreen, if you’re sick of hobbits), probing our private lives and finding out our dirty little secrets (The Treat’s are, I fear, a stash of hard drugs and an overly-comprehensive collection of Foghat albums).

But anyway, bollocks to all this - does it rock? Hell, yes. A lumbering Brontosaurus of fuzz awakes and lollops away through the tundra, with the drummer and singer desperately holding onto its scaly tail for dear life. There’s another stonking chorus, a lyric of inspired Zep-style portentousness and the sort of guitar solo that can only be played with your tongue out.

The big criticism of The Treat is that they don’t do anything new - its all been done before, many a time. And yet, the same can be said for most modern bands, especially The Darkness, with whom The Treat are often compared. In the end, bands like this exist to make you happy. They succeeded in my case. Now where I put my bong?

By Colin MacKinnon                                                                       Oxford Bands (UK)

                                                                                                     www.oxfordbands.com

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THE TREAT

In Technicolor

The Treat give their hearts for guitar oriented rock.

The Opener “Burnin” reminds me of early Iron Maiden but, because of the production, its not really that “metal like”. If you go through the whole album you’ll find a mix of The Stones, The Clash and other British rock acts from the seventies.
From time to time composer, guitarist and singer Mike Hyder gives the songs a kind of blues feeling, Hard Rock in the vein of AC/DC, with a little bit of the Beatles – and every track's got an independent touch. The groovy “Let’s Get Beautiful”, the more poppy “The Hunger”, which has a cool chorus and the up tempo song “Nightclubbing” are good and interesting but most of the time the songwriting has to be better to claim the next step on the ladder of success. 6/10

Hansy Heider                                                                         Metal District (Germany)

                                                                                                       www.metal-district.de

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The Treat – In Technicolor

By Cameron Officer

In 2004, old is new and retro is refreshing. Reinventing some key musical concept that worked for someone 10, 20 or 30 years ago is the widely perceived ticket to chart success.

The Datsuns are The Stooges. Jet is The Small Faces. The Mars Volta is Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Beyonce Knowles is Donna Summer. The Rapture is Depeche Mode. Justin Timberlake is Michael Jackson and Robbie Williams is an assemblage of people including, but not limited to, Dean Martin, David Cassidy, Johnny Rotten and both Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.

If you want to get ahead of the rest of your rock n’ roll peers in 2004, go back to your dusty vinyl and do your homework.

And really, who can blame anyone for rummaging through the dress-up box, strapping on a guitar, donning tight trousers and a false beard and going, “For sooth! I am a musical genius with odd time signatures. My songs go on for three months and have titles like “Interrupted Archaic Mechanism”. I’m totally hip. I’m totally new. I’m totally now,” when all anyone with more than a passing interest in popular music is thinking, “Hey, that guy looks like Rick Wakeman from Yes. How interesting!”

Before you can whine about how no one is original anymore, they’re in the charts, getting huge press coverage and you’re nodding your head to their first single because – well, gosh darn it – it just sounds so catchy and different.

Cultural observers and psychologist types often point to this as an example of how we nostalgically yearn, in these troubled times, for simpler, sun- and fun-filled memories. We react positively to music that sounds like it was made two decades ago because it reminds us of being younger and carefree.

Justin Timberlake has brought funky, sweaty electro soul back to pop, for example. Outkast’s Andre 3000 has stepped outside the realms of hip hop and embraced, among other things, classic swing and jazz. The Darkness “Believe in a Thing Called Love”.

And The Treat’s Mike Hyder knows the soothing, exciting value of a power chord.

The Treat is a three-piece from Oxford who has just released their debut album, In Technicolor. Their press material doesn’t give away many indicators as to whom they’ve been compared with by those in the know, but like musical stalkers, they seem to follow in the footsteps of earlier rock bands, playing venues where many a famous shoe has trod before.

The Police, The Who, Elvis Costello and The Rolling Stones are all mentioned as having inhabited the same dance halls and pubs The Treat love to play in, so in a way there are no surprises as to what they’ll sound like before putting their CD in the stereo.

In a word; retro.

It’s tight fitting, cleanly executed, hard rock. It’s not world shaking but, in the same manner as the bullish, fat, three-day growth-sporting builder with 30 years experience and a hammer he calls ‘old faithful’, it gets the job done, without any fuss or bother or questions about occupational safety and health.

Over the course of In Technicolor’s 10 original compositions, The Treat display a competent pub rock style, somewhere between a heads down Status Quo and a straight backed Jam or Clash. Tracks like album opener “Burnin’”, melodic rocker “The Hunger” and “Agent 555” stick to a formula you can’t help but feel Hyder and his fellow band members feel very comfortable with indeed.

The Treat never really extend themselves beyond the expected, but it’s a retro sound, so the sudden introduction of samples or a cheeky melodica four tracks into the album is neither sought after or welcome. This is dirty, greasy, beer-sodden, sore-throat-in-the-morning rock n’ roll man!

Sometimes reinventing the musical wheel can work brilliantly, somehow resulting in a totally fresh sound and fooling punters to varying degrees as to the authenticity of the new product.

Radiohead have been underlining bits in the Cliffs Notes to Pink Floyd for years now and everyone (this reviewer included) thinks they’re geniuses for doing so. Supergrass were so obviously rehashing early Who that we didn’t care a jot and cheered them on for it. Oasis? Don’t get me started... but we bloody loved them for a few years there as well.

The Treat do what they do well, but the pub rock corner from which they’ve drawn reference isn’t as exciting a proposition as, say, Eels ripping off Burt Bacharach or a thinly veiled Sly & The Family Stone copyist.

Trends come and go though, and for all I know we could be on the verge of a Motorhead/Iron Maiden/Status Quo revival. At this point in time, however, I can’t see that particular retro revival providing The Treat with their transport to the top.

The good thing here though is, you get the feeling Hyder and Co. couldn’t care less about success – they’re too busy just having fun.

Like most people without the aid of small mirrors and a collection of drinking straws and biros’ sellotaped together, I can’t see round corners. But should ‘80s Judas Priest and Uriah Heep make a big mainstream comeback any time soon, you’ll be going to bigger venues than the local pub to see The Treat.

Georgios  Sidiropoulos                                                        Let It Rock Magazine (Germany/Greece)                                                

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                         The Silent Scream                                     

 www.thesilentscreamzine.com              

Review
Artist The Treat      Title In Technicolor      Record Comp. Rockular Recordings      Year 2004      Lenght 36:01      Genre Rock      Notes       Vote 6,5
Just get to an agreement. If The Treat really want to sell their sound for retro rock in the literal sense of the term, they won’t find in me an accomplice. After assimilating with devotion the word of Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who and all the other glorious acts that wrote the history of rock, I find hard to see in the obvious easy listening of “In Technicolor” the stigmata of a sound which, for strong traditions, must be soaked into rebellion and shamelessness. Premised that and premised that at present I can’t stand all the groups whose name begins with “the”, this debut of the british band is an appreciable summary of provincial contestation rock: polished never too energetic sounds of strong English approach, seventies-like attitude, head among the clouds, rooted boots on earth. Well, ten fitting songs like “Agent 555” (first single), “Don’t Think Twice” and “Silver Eye” that can be listened without regrets or jumps. A light listening, but not bad: a sort of catharsis in tunes of a seventies rock world with extravagant trends, so fragile to risk to get broken like a played string with too much strength. Easy to realize how the band cares about the retro cause, with the croaking “Let’s Get Beautiful” and “Burnin’”, and they don’t even miss the class strike, that is the vaguely southern tasted bluesy homage to AC/DC (“24/7”). There’s who, in matter of old rock, is much more clever than The Treat (in the sense that can exploit this attitude better like The Darkness or The Jet), but these three songsters of the music that once was show to own enough personality to challenge with the chart champions of exhumed rock. Flavio Ignelzi

 

HARD ROCK HOUSE

The Treat - In Technicolour

Rating - 6.5/10

Review Don Gibbs

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The Treat are a band that formed in 2001 in Oxford and then spent the majority of 2002 doing what all new bands need to do, trying to get as much exposure as possible by gigging the year away up and down the country.  They released their first single “Agent 555” in December of the same year and also began working on “In Technicolor”, their debut album, which was finally released in December of 2003.  The liner notes for the CD lists Mike Hyder, Andy Sutton and John Halliday as the musicians involved in this CD but I guess there must have been some changes made as their website states that the current players are Mike Hyder (Electric & Acoustic Guitars/Lead Vocal/Multi-Instrumentalist/Songwriting), Dom Lash (Electric Bass/Double Bass/Keyboards) and 'Purple' David Hart (Drums/Tabla/ Percussion/Bass Clarinet/Multi-Intrumentalist).  They are currently pushing for an autumn release of their new CD, which is why I think I was sent this CD to review, even though it has been doing the rounds for nearly 3 years already.  On first listen I had a huge feeling of deja-vu, I was immediately transported back to the late 60’s/early 70’s style of pop rock/pub rock music.  The first comparison that came into my mind was the debut release from GENESIS – “From Genesis to Revelation”, although The Treat have not managed to do it quite as good as Messr’s Gabriel et al.    The first track on the album, “Burnin”, starts off with a great rock riff which could be compared to the likes of AC/DC, “Don’t Think Twice” is a definite 60’s throwback with faster rhythms and quite a catchy refrain which leads onto their initial single “Agent 555” which has some Black Crows influence in it.  The 4th track on the album is what has been classed as the albums anthem song, “Rock You”, which is probably one of the better tracks with its chugging guitars and dominant drums however my favourite track is “Silver Eye” which takes a lot of inspiration from the psychedelic sounds and hallucinogenic lyrics that Led Zepplin blessed us with previously.  This is an album with a definite retro feel to it, almost as if they are trying to re-invent the musical wheel and turn back time to the days when British Rock ruled the world.  Some of the reviews done when “In Technicolor” was initially released in 2003 were classing these guys as the new Sabbath/Motorhead/Iron Maiden rolled into one, but you must remember that this release came out at the time when those Rock Icons The Darkness (sarcasm rules) were at their height of popularity so it was pretty obvious that the Rock genre had lost it’s way a little and I think that the public were desperate for someone to knock them off their perch and would clutch at any straws available.  “The Treat” kick out cleanly executed, tight fitting, classic rock but have added a modern style to it.  If I was to make any sort of criticism at all it would be to say that while Mike has a fairly decent voice, it needs a bit more meat to it so that he can do justice to the rockier sound they are trying to produce.  These guys are not going to be world shakers, their albums won’t be ground breaking and a lot of people may not look on them as cool, but they do produce a fairly decent sound.  Overall I would say that this is a mediocre release which isn’t really going to amount to too much, but with a bit more musical maturity they could, if they tweaked things up a bit, go on to bigger and better things.  At the same time they could also completely cock things up and fade into obscurity.  I wait for their next release to see which path they are taking!

Track List Burnin' Don't Think Twice Agent 55 Rock You Let's Get Beautiful 24/7 Silver Eye The Hunger Nightclubbing Hypertonic Line Up Mike Hyder - Guitars/Vocals Dom Lash - Bass/Keyboards David Hart - Drums

 

The Treat - In Technicolour (Rockular Recordings Ltd.) T: Well, whilst I like what the band are doing, mixing Led Zeppelin with Wire and calling in Uriah Heap every now and again, I really DON'T like the production on this album. It sounds way too clean, yet somehow sounds rather muddy at the same time. I realise that's something of a misnomer but hey, I know what I mean! The songs are well constructed, and I can see many of the comparisons made previously by various webzine writers (The Clash, AC/DC and Van Halen in particular) so it's a release that makes me want to see the band live, because I suspect they will come across far better than they do on CD. N: To be honest, listening here, I found this a little too "comic book". The songs just came across with less impact than I felt they deserved, almost as if this band could perform to a script, somewhat like the Monkees did in the sixties. But hey, it got THAT band noticed! 6/10

                                                                                                        www.atomicduster.com

Reviews for 'AGENT 555' single

(Rockular Recordings)

British Rock is the order of the day, courtesy of The Treat. A treat eh? Well I'll be the judge of that methinks.

'Agent 555' is caught up in sixties, not just conceptually but with harmonious melodies that could have come from The Byrds and an open style of drumming to match. The backing vocals towards the end of the track add some of the seventies styles that The Feeling are currently breathing back into life and altogether it's good enough to deserve the treat label.

A tad faster and with a more prominent lead vocal, 'Hypertonic' is another retrospective belter with a crazy fast chorus lyric and a smouldering solo.

The Treat are like poppier cousins of The Delays, bringing to life one of Britain's finest decades with plenty of contemporary slant to the songs despite the re-born components. This is music from a time where it was a whole lot of fun and it's worth taking a moment to enjoy Agent 555.

Written By: Saur (3695 - ) View The Mag Team

Date: 02/07/2006

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After a 3 minute episode of jamming to your music we have approved Agent 555 for distribution on iSOUND.COM. This means your song is now available on all sections of our website in addition to your artist site.
Keep the great music coming!
Live Life Loud
 Max (Content Manager) - iSOUND.COM

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Live Reviews

"AC/DC with pop overtones"

- HOPE & ANCHOR, Music Venue (London,UK)

"Very Stones-y"

- THE UNDERWORLD, Music Venue (Camden, London, UK)

"Promise of melody and rhythm from The Treat"

- Oxford Mail (UK)

"Neil Young inspired melodic rockers"

- Nightshift (Oxford, UK)

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 Radio Play Lists

'The following tracks have already been in rotation and were received well by my listeners - Hypertonic, Let's Get Beautiful, and Nightclubbing. I am currently featuring Agent 555.

Thanks for turning me (and my listeners) on to this refreshing new band'.

-DJ Ajay

MIXED BAG SOUND SYSTEM, USA

www.live365.com/stations/djeclectic

KAOSFM, Australia

www.kaosfm.net

SKYWAVE RADIO, UK

www.skywaveradio.com

ROCK FM , Greece

www.rockfm.gr

RADIO RASA, Switzerland

www.djleo.net

RADIO ATRAXION, Chile   

www.atraxion.tk

NDSU THUNDER RADIO, North Dakota, USA

www.ndsu.nodak.edu

RADIO FREAKOUT, New York, USA

www.radiofreakout.com

SPACE IN YOUR FACE, CKMS, Ontario, CANADA

http://watserv1.uwaterloo.ca

KGFN, El Cajon, California, USA

www.grossmont.net

WRHU, New York, USA

www.hofstra.edu

CIUT, Radio Toronto, CANADA

www.ciut.fm

KAOS, Olympia, Washington, USA

www.kaosradio.org

KBVU The Edge Indie Show, Iowa, USA

http://web.bvu.edu

SYN FM, Dive Into My Adam's Apple Show, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

 www.syn.org.au/diveintomyadamsapple

SYN FM, Music To My Ears Show, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

www.syn.org.au/musictomyears

THE GRAIN DIVISION, UK

The Treat are also listed on the site

http://www.burbs.co.uk

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