The Dreadnoughts - Legends Never Die

Artist: The Dreadnoughts

Album: Legends Never Die

Label: Self Released

During the past few years I've found myself discouraged by the lack of great new additions to the celtic street punk genre.  Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the slew of new releases by Flogging Molly, The Dropkick Murphys, The Real McKenzies, etc... but in each case I more or less knew exactly what to expect, and that's exactly what these bands presented: safe new additions to their rock solid discographies.  I find that one of the simple pleasures in discovering music is spontaneity, the thrill of finding a new group's debut and being absolutely floored by such a young band's chemistry and quality.  This is exactly what happened on October 14th at 1:42am when an album called Legends Never Die popped up at my favourite music discovery tool, emusic.  

The Dreadnoughts, apparently from my hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, are best described as a celtic-punk group sounding closest to the clean, well arranged songs  of post-Blackout era Dropkick Murphys.  At this point some may accuse me of simply praising a Dropkicks clone.  Despite their core similarity, this couldn't be farther from the truth.  You see, the band lacks the Dropkicks defining instrument: bagpipes.  Rather, they explore their celtic roots through other traditional instruments, most notably fiddles, whistles, and accordions.  Basically, imagine if the Dropkick Murphys traded instruments with Flogging Molly and then tried to play their back catalogue.  The result is a fantastic debut of 11 songs with no shortage of grand sing-along choruses, thoughtful acoustic introductions, and magnificent fiddle solos.

As their mariner name suggests, the band's content circulates around salty sailors from the docks of yesteryear.  Some of the narratives focus on specific persons.  For example, "Mary the One Eyed Prostitute..." (and the rest of the song's title trails off for several lines) chronicles sailors' run-ins with a legendary and quite unsavory woman in rough dockside bars, and "Fire Marshall Willy" gives a comedic scenario behind how and old salt earned his nick-name.  Others like "Antarctica" and "Old Maui" follow epic voyages themselves rather than focus on individuals.  Switching between both approaches ensure that the album remains fresh despite working within a very a very specific theme.

These guys aren't just another irish/scottish/celtic inspired band singing about bars and drunken scuffles.  Nope, these lads have tales to tell - and I highly recommend listening to every word.  

Gutter Demons - Misery, Madness, and Murder Lullabies

Band: Gutter Demons

Album: Misery, Madness, and Murder Lullabies

Label: Self Released (NA)/Wolverine Records (EU)

Montreal based psychobilly trio the Gutter Demons describe themselves as a mixture of 80's psychobilly, 50's rockabilly, street punk, horror punk, and Country. When most bands use several styles to describe their sound they're being generous, but with the Gutter Demons, it's easy to see that their description is genuine. Lead vocalist Johnny Toxik's deep, raw vocals, defined by a thick French Canadian accent, should be welcomed by fans of bands like The Sainte Catherines, while upright bassist Flipper's deep slapping should make any fan of 80's psychobilly bands like Batmobile feel right at home. The guitaring is similar to raw punk influenced psychobilly bands like the Cenobites or Gorilla. On top of these characteristics the Demons refine their sound with occasional guitar-centric country intros and outros.

While certain elements of these styles remain in force throughout their new album Misery, Madness, and Murder Lullabies, the band shifts stylistic emphasis between songs. For example, songs like "guilty" and "follow" carry a "big" rock n roll feel, featuring the heaviest guitar and fiercest vocals, while others like "House by the Cemetery" and "Advice" lean more heavily on country elements, resulting in slower tempos and a more subdued atmosphere. These changes keep the listener with just enough variety to to keep things fresh throughout the entire album.

As for lyrics I had originally written a paragraph about how Misery Madness and Murder Lullabies was thematically bound, as opposed to taking on a narrative structure, like in their previous release, Room 209.  But then I read an album description at some obscure online retailer and realized I was dead wrong.  Apparently, much like Room 209 (in which the band created a thematic murder drama about a crazed serial killer), Misery Madness and Murder Lullabies is also a narrative, this time about an outlaw's journey: "the tale of an outlaw at heart, his quest for glory, his downfall, and his waiting at the Gates of Hell."  While admittedly blushing from my misinterpretation (this realization came after many months of listening to the album), I think my mistake is revealing.  Compared to Room 209 the Demons' narrative is far less apparent.  The band explores this outlaw's journey through thematically related tracks rather than a straight forward narrative.  Consequently the album is far more accessible for repeat listening, or selecting specific tracks out of sequence.  While certainly above average in the realm of psychobilly, the lyrical content is entertaining, and at times even original, they are by no means groundbreaking. But it's hard to fault the album on this technicality since horror-punk thrives off of a legacy of B-movies and cliched content.

Overall the Gutter Demons have crafted a fine piece of work that stands up well, inside and outside of the genre. Because of the album's variety and subsequent originality, it's easy to recommend Misery, Madness, and Murder Lullabies to casual psychobilly listeners as well as die hard enthusiasts.

Energy - Invasions of the Mind

Artist: Energy

Album: Invasions of the Mind

Label: Bridge9

Energy describes itself as a melodic hardcore band influenced by "everything," at which point they go on to drop big names like their going out of style including "Death Before Dishonor, Strike Anywhere, Modern Life Is War, Agnostic Front, Ignite, Comeback Kid, Crime In Stereo, Converge, Set Your Goals." While at first I was tempted to dismiss this claim of universality, after one listen it struck me: here is a band clearly influenced by various hardcore acts like (early) crime in stereo and converge - both styles I tend to avoid by choice (not my cup of tea) - yet I thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed the outing.  Evidently their claim to expansive influences holds some merit if this old-school punk-rock enthusiast can not only tolerate, but enjoy the album.

The vocals play a key part in the band's accessibility. Rather than using an indecipherable piercing howl (again, not my cup of tea), the vocalist sounds reminiscent of the early 2000's pop-punk acts that sprung up around Taking Back Sunday.  Occasionally the backing vocalist contributes some Comeback Kid-esque growls, but they keep within the melodic backdrop rather than taking centre stage. While tracks like "Hail the Size of Grapes" keep fast tempos and intense drumming clearly inspired by influences like 7 Seconds or Ignite, Energy also explores its more experimental, modern Crime in Stereo influenced roots.  Instrumental tracks like "Revelations" play with acoustic strumming, spoken word, and fragmented compositions not unlike Look Mexico's This is Animal Music.

To categorize Energy as simply another "melodic hardcore band" is a mistake, but at the same time, their debut lacks many distinctive or memorable moments. With the exception of the exceptional "400" and its grand choruses, remove the instrumental intros and outros and many of the tracks become indistinguishable from each other. The lyrical content is vague and overly descriptive. Most of the songs explore something about falling into or trying to climb out of a doomed state, and while at times the band has some original and pseudo-poetic moments, one can't help but be reminded of every other generic hardcore band discussing "fears," "sickness," and falling from grace.

Still, give it a chance and it might just grow on you.

The Koffin Kats - Drunk in the Daylight

Band: The Koffin Kats

Album: Drunk in the Daylight

Label: Hairball8

The Koffin Kats have been tearing it up the psychobilly scene over in Detroit, Michigan for what feels much longer than their five years as a band.  After forming in 2003 the band made quick work to record three albums in as many years, continually evolving their trademark rockabilly punk fusion with each new release.  Then in 2006 the group took a slight break from the studio, presumably focusing on touring (they're one of the most active punkabilly bands I can think of) rather than racing to finish their next project.  For a band and young as and with as much drive as The Kats,  a two year breather between releases is like an eternity.  Based on the  improvements in their fourth release, Drunk in the Daylight, the band used these two years quite productively.

There are two basic differences between Drunk in the Daylight and their previous efforts.  First, while previous releases drew their greatest inspiration from neo-rockabilly influences, their latest effort finds the band including greater doses of punk, and to a lesser extent rock, and even metal, creating the largest addition to their formula to date.  While the lead singer maintains his trademark rockabilly croon (enhanced by backing vocals and expansive woahs), the band speeds up the musical backdrop.  Songs like "Experiment" and "Theme for a Sinner" feature complex guitar solos, drawing from rock and metal influences respectively.  With more complexity to each song, the band has increased average song length to around two or three minutes.  No need for worry though, the band doesn't mosey around - each song maintains its own memorable qualities while working within The Kats firmly established punkabilly core.

I would imagine that simply comparing Drunk in Daylight's clean, professional album art to previous albums' minimalist "do-it-yourself" covers would be enough to raise any fan's eyebrows.  Blood stained text has been replaced with elegant fonts, and three well postured gentlemen stand in place of chaotic depictions of the band.  In this sense the art serves to prepare fans for the most obvious difference between Drunk in the Daylight and previous releases: and audible improvement in production quality.  While previous releases gave off a "garage" feel, here each instrument is clearly distinct and the vocals are eerily clean.  I fear the band may take heat from their fans, which would be a shame because the musical improvements make a very fine finished product.  While many bands often let improvements in production quality effect the contents of their songs, the Kats merely use it as a tool to clarify what has already made them popular.  For this reason I urge fans to clear their minds of recent disappointments (like Tiger Army's Music From Regions Beyond where the band let the temptation of increasing production quality alter their core product) and simply listen to the album, rather than the production quality.  

Son of Sam - Into the Night

Band: Son of Sam

Album: Into the Night

Label: Horror High Llc.

Before delving right into this review, I should confess that I as much as I love horrorpunk, I'm not as familiar with the classics as my enthusiasm might suggest.  I say this simply because many people view Son of Sam as a horrorpunk "supergroup," seeing how it consists of former members of the genre's pioneers, Samhain and Danzig.  That being said, after a little digging I can definitely see the influences: Ian Thorne's gruff crooning vocals are easily comparable to Danzig, as is the simple yet unrelenting guitar.  Combined with some early misfits era speed and subject matter, some may be tempted to label Son of Sam's latest iteration as common and predictable.  Yet somehow the band pulls these overused elements together and creates a refreshingly classic sound. Their previous release, Songs from Earth, featured AFI's Davey Havok as lead vocalist. The result was disjointed and chaotic. Consequently, with the removal of Havok and introduction of Thorne, my enthusiasm for Into the Night doesn't surprise me.

Part of what helps the album succeed includes the subtle inter and intra track variety.  The slower tracks, like "Twisted Soul" and "Dark Life," offer thick, rich melodies with expansive choruses and grand vocals.  These tracks tend to evoke dark, ominous imagery similar to the sense of an impending doom.  Meanwhile, the more intense tracks, like "The Bleeding" and Into the Night, gather greater influence from speedy punk bands like the misfits (and to find a more contemporary comparison, Blitzkid), creating more frantic, panicked arrangements.  Each song holds its audience's attention with a variety of well placed backing vocals (including a healthy dosage of anthemic "wooaahhs"), fast paced guitar solos, and a slew of subtlties that only reveal themselves to the listener upon repeat listenings.  For example, in "Sons of New" there are various strategically placed "demonic" vocals layered under Thrope's croon, enhancing certain moments of choral intensity.  

With the introduction of Thorne's vocals, and by tightening their sound through various tempos and musical subtleties, the band creates an "atmospheric" experience that grabs and keeps my attention in a way Son of Sam's first record never could.

One Night Band - Hit & Run

Band: The One Night Band

Album: Hit & Run

Label: Stomp Records

Montreal's One Night Band starts their follow-up to their debut on a high note, but ultimately exhausts the listener 15 tracks later with monotonous vocals, tempos, and organs keys. This isn't to say the album is all bad, far from it in fact. Much like ska legends The Slackers, and unlike the majority of modern ska bands, One Night Band gathers inspiration from a variety of pre-90s sources, most notably sixties era raggae and swing. These lead to some very relaxed, head swaying tunes fit for a sunny summer drive. For this reason I wouldn't be surprised if a song or two eventually sneaks its way onto one of my many summer playlist in the future. But my praise and comparisons to genre greats ends there.

The problem ultimately stems from the departure of their female vocalist, placing the entire responsibility on Alex Giguere. While Guguere's gruff French Canadian accented vocals offered a nice contrast alongside the former female vocalist, independently he fails to supply enough vocal range to make the songs memorable. In a way he sounds like a dude sitting on the john who has suddenly realized that he needs to up his fiber intake - each vocal sounds incredibly strained and forced.

In light of such short comings, one may have thought the band would have used varying tempos, instruments and arrangements to cover up Guguere's mono-tone droning. However, the listener is met with disappointment here as well. Musically, unlike contemporaries such as the Aggrolites, One Night Band overuses their retro organ sound to such an extent that there were times where I practically forgot entirely that it was part of their repertoire. This is particularly troubling for me since I've always found the sound refreshing - but here the band has entirely robbed me of any enjoyment and is dangerously close to making outright hate the instrument. Furthermore, you've heard their ska/reggae guitaring in practically every mediocre ska/reggae band, so it barely warrants any attention. Occasionally (I counted a whole two times) the band brings out the saxophone for a much needed solo, offering a glimpse of what could have been, but the "excitement" ends there.

On the cover of the album the band goes for a retro vibe providing a stamp boasting that the record supports "mono" audio output. But after one listen, it becomes painfully obvious that in this case "mono" simply stands for monotonous and monotone.