Vince Leigh’s Single Review: New Age by Wisemen
By Vince Leigh (Ex drummer of Pseudo Echo, Tina Arena and John Farnham) of Australian Radio Promotion for Sheldon Ang Media
New Age’s Wisemen is the sonic equivalent of a bar brawl at last call—a messy, glorious collision of raw energy, feral ambition, and just enough finesse to remind you this isn’t amateur hour. This Melbourne quartet isn’t content to nod respectfully at their influences (The Clash, The Stooges, Zeppelin); they tear chunks out of them, chew them up, and spit them back out with a flavour that’s entirely their own.
The track kicks off with a riff that doesn’t ask permission—it demands submission. It’s jagged, snarling, and impossible to ignore, setting the stage for Lizzy, whose vocals don’t just enter the fray; they dominate it. Her voice is less an instrument and more a force of nature—part hurricane, part war cry, and all heart. When she belts out ‘Wisemen will find their way,’ you don’t doubt her for a second. It’s not a suggestion; it’s gospel.
Behind her, Ted Boy and Colt lay down a rhythm section that’s pure adrenaline, while Gg’s guitar work oscillates between tightrope-walk precision and all-out anarchy. That solo? It’s not a detour; it’s an ambush—a furious, cathartic burst of sound that elevates the track to a visceral peak. By the time it’s over, you feel like you’ve been through something. Lyrically, Wisemen is steeped in rock mythology—the endless highways, the search for meaning, the existential grind.
But it’s not just regurgitated clichés; it’s alive, fresh, and crackling with urgency. Lines like ‘The road is long and hard to find’ don’t just echo—they resonate, like a punch to the gut delivered with poetic precision. This isn’t a track you casually listen to; it’s a track you survive. It’s a reminder that rock at its best isn’t clean, safe, or polite—it’s dangerous, defiant, and unapologetically human. New Age doesn’t just play music; they unleash it. Wisemen is a battle cry for anyone who’s ever felt lost, furious, or just gloriously alive. If rock is a religion, this is the kind of hymn that makes you believe again.
