With the end of the 80's (or mid 80's,
whichever way you think it is), there also came the end of the
infamous power pop/glam/hair metal wave. With the power pop ballads
of 'Cum on Feel the Noize', 'Panama' and 'Girls Girls Girls' being
replaced by Grunge and Alternative anthems it seemed that these bands
had all but run out of their juice or most fans had grown and traded
their Hairsprays and Leather pants for a comb and a 3 piece suit to
fit into their day jobs.
Of course, that's not to say that there
aren't still the odd revivalist band out there (i'm looking at you
Steel Panther) but you can safely say that this genre of music has
gone the way of the dinosaur - just don't tell your dad. Still, you
can appreciate the lengths that some of these bands go to to honour
the past with their over-the-top music videos, falsetto singing,
dual-octave guitar solos and reverb-y drum snares (hello, The
Darkness...). Bands which still manage to garner a pretty solid and
dedicated fanbase, both young and old alike with sold out concerts
and premium slots at festivals.
In come now Sick Things.
Hailing from Montreal and featuring
members of Beat Cop, Trigger Effect and Barnburner, they're self
described as a rock and roll band with 'non-ironic' guitar solos –
talk about cutting to the chase here – and their debut self-titled
full length release (via God's Candy Records) doesn't stop short with
all the stops and goodies you'd expect from a Twisted Sister album.
Starting off the release strong with
the muscular track Take the Head from the Crown, they don't waste
time jumping straight to the action. This seems like the perfect jam
I'd like to listen to on a desert highway with miles between me and
the next car. Guitars have that nice distorted tone that isn't too
much for the ear but perfectly compliments the pounding drums and
accompanying guitar solos, which are plenty.
Further into the release comes the
actual track Sick Things. The duelling guitar riff at the beginning is
perfectly arranged to start the song off and the chorus itself is a
chanty anthem whose melody could get stuck in anyone's head, if those
particular guitar riffs didn't already. With mentions of fighting
like Capulets (hello, Shakespeare) and the skillful rhyming of 'Must
be in Denial, like a Juvenile' flows through the song effortlessly,
adding power to the passionate conveyance of the vocals, leading into
the climactic chorus ending which you kind of wish didn't end,
truthfully.
The album finishes off with the
semi-slower Dog Days which the band made sure not to leave anything
out with a timing of almost 5 minutes, the longest off the whole
album. Starting off yet again with guitars that compliment each other
and drums that bang right in and give the song a whole 'love gone
wrong' feeling to it. Sure it's been done before but that doesn't
deflect the fact of the guitar solo ending that serves as a final
adieu to what you had been listening to for the past 30 minutes or so
– that said it would've been interesting to hear some sort of
ballad a la 'Patience' from the group but perhaps we'll find it in a
future release.
You can't go wrong with the production
as well, the recording having been skillfully recorded, mixed and
mastered and while production credits are not listed, the
engineer/producer definitely knew what sound they were looking here
and well, they nailed it. Kudos to them, whoever they are.
Sick Things seem to be having all the
right stuff going on for them. From their songwriting to their
musicianship to their past experience with bands, this album is a
testimony to it all. Having already opened for bands such as
Alexisonfire, the Buzzcocks and playing at festivals including Pop
Montreal and Osheaga, there's no telling what can happen for them in
the future.
Best song off the release: Sick Things
– go figure, the song that is named after the band, this one
captures the entire essence of them and what they're all about. But
hey, don't take my word for it – have a listen yourself.
https://thesickthings.bandcamp.com/releases