IT’S not easy being a local rock band – firstly, Malaysian bands are often stereotyped, but when you’re Qings & Kueens and have an EP of this calibre out in the market, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that neither your ability as musicians nor the quality of your recording is going to go under the microscope.

The band comprises four ambitious musicians; S. Vimalendran on vocals, Paul Chuah on guitar and backing vocals, Kevin Theseira on bass and Jerry Soon on drums. Together, the band stirs a blend of pop rock in a seething cauldron of lilting vocals, scorching guitar licks, thundering bass lines and pounding drums.

Qings & Kueens’ busy gigging schedule has clearly paid off, as the band sounds exceptionally tight on this debut. Interlude, the opening track, is precisely what its title suggests – a brief, balmy instrumental passage that prepares the listener for some good music.

Light quickly changes the mood, helped by the funky bass line in the verse before erupting into a catchy singalong during the chorus. The anthemic We’re Gonna Rock You is the chest-beating cry for rock ’n’ roll’s freedom of expression. And boy does this one rock. Somehow, the song’s main melody is better fleshed out on this studio recording than in the band’s live presentation. Especially tasty is Theseira’s tuneful bass line.

Hands down, Paul Chuah is the maestro here. He weaves his lissom lines instinctively around the melodies he creates for each song with finesse that can only come from the fingers of the gifted. He must easily be one of the most interesting guitarists in the gig circuit today.

Milkyway has the whole band rocking like nowhere else as the band teases the listener with interestingly timed breaks and a chugging rhythm that recalls Guns N’ Roses’ Locomotive. The moment that’s absolutely sublime is when the band pulls a half-time break close to the end, allowing Vimalendran’s vocals to soar above the sludgy rock groove below.

There is one glitch in the entire Qings & Kueens programme, however – for every 100 things a band gets right, there’ll at least be one thing that could have been approached slightly differently. The vocal style on certain songs is the point of contention here; if you look at the glass half full, it can sound expressive and even powerful, but if you look at the glass half empty, it has a tendency to appear dated.

So much happens in the band’s music and presentation that only the stickler will sift this out, though. And to the band’s credit, it’s managed to fuse everything so cohesively that Royal Sessions has certainly earned its crown.