Anybody who is familiar with Chris Damien Doll and his former band
Trashcan Darlings should have an idea of what to expect out of
Chris's new offering, Suicide Bombers. This is not to say that this
act sounds exactly like Trashcan, but there are similarities, for
obvious reasons. The main songwriter in Trashcan was Chris and this
band has a similar style. While this is a separate band, there is no
doubt this is a Chris Damien Doll product, and if this review gets
somebody to pick this album up, I would kind of like to think that it
might also cause them to seek out the previous band also. There is a
lot of Chris Damien Doll goodness out there for people to spend some
time with.
Let us first explore what is the same in these songs with those from
previous days. The main thing one should notice is that Chris
continues to show his care of song construction. Chris doesn't just
write a song. Chris seems to like to pull apart his songs, find ways
of fleshing them out, and actually building a song. His material
might sound like “just rock and roll,” and one could easily take
it for such. But if one was to really listen to the songs, the
layering, the transitions, every aspect, one can find that there is a
lot going on. Everything flows and everything fits.
It would seem that the big difference between the two bands is that
while Trashcan had that Punk edge, Suicide Bombers live up to their
name. They deliver bombastic Rock, the kind of stuff arenas were
built for (sorry, sporting events were just time killers until
somebody invented the electric guitar). The kind of stuff that was
made to shake the earth. This is R-O-C-K that finds the right groove,
the right hook, and then goes for the jugular. Hooks in the verses,
and hooks for every chorus.
Songs such as “High On Explosives” and “Princess Socialite”
push forward with such an urgency that in a live situation I would
have to expect the club would be bursting. “Princess Socialite”
in particular has such a high energy, and carries such a wonderful
chorus, that when the song calms down in the middle one is almost
thankful for the small break.
The
only time the Bombers seem to not be so interested in rocking the
living Hell out of your world is when they slow down ever so slightly
for “Teenage Breakdown.” Don't get me wrong, this is nowhere near
an “Every Rose Has Its Thorns” slow down, but just enough to
probably give the boys a chance to stop running around the stage.
Think mid-tempo Dogs D'Amour from either Dynamite Jet
Saloon or Errol Flynn.
I could almost
hear Tyla singing this one. A
duet between Tyla and Chris would be absolute Heaven for this tune.
“Bombers En Vogue” might not have the same high energy drive as
other songs, and might move at a slower pace, but the tune is all
about strutting. The song works as a theme song, and it gives the
listener an idea of the cocky swagger that the band must have. It
gives us an idea of what their stance and position on a stage must be
like. These guys own the land that stand on, and the stage is always
theirs to conquer, no matter the locale or situation.
Chris does sound quite a bit like Trashcan vocalist Strange? Gentle,
which surprised me quite a bit when I first heard the album. It
probably should not have been too much of a surprise, as Trashcan
ended due to Strange? feeling he had run the course, so Chris might
not have been ready to put that band to bed yet. Chris might be a
little bit better than the man who guided his previous band, but it
will ultimately come down to a personal taste. If one liked Strange's
voice, then one should be cool with Mr. Damien Doll.
This is not a perfect album, but it is extremely good. If there is a
spot that might cause one to pause, it would be that Chris might have
an acquired taste voice. It is not bad, but it is a voice perfectly
suited to Trash and Punk. One won't find Chris throwing down against
a Sebastian Bach, which for some is a grand thing. A voice like that
would work against the attitude and power that hides within these
songs. In all honesty, however, I am growing more and more fond of
this album as time passes by.
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