Devil's Gate Music
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Before I get to this review I want to touch on Gene Simmons’ “rock is dead” statement, which has resurfaced, as I think it is relevant. I understand where Gene is coming from, as the game has changed incredibly since the high flying, million dollar contracts of the 80’s, but the beginning of a band has not changed. You tour, tour, and tour some more. The added bonus is social media, which does the job of the old PR people and it works much faster. The downside is once you get out of that cycle, the sales are not there, but the bands have caught up with that, and realise the way to resolve this is by selling merchandise at gigs.
The major change I have seen since those heady days is the sheer talent that is coming through. It is not the case you can learn three chords, play one gig and start shouting “Where the hell is my record contract?” As you can imagine, in this line of work, I hear a lot of old and new bands. I see a lot of gigs, and with most tours now usually having a minimum 3 band line up, I see a lot of the new bands coming through. I can tell you right now, I am astounded, on an almost daily basis, at the talent that is coming through. I remember the old days, when anyone was thrown on as support for the big guns, and I can assure you there were some rough and completely useless bands out there. My favourite memory was of the band Tank who were supporting Motörhead at the Glasgow Apollo. They got booed off after two songs, and on the way off stage, the drummer threw his drumsticks, only to have them thrown back at him.
The point is, new and young bands today know they need to put the hours in to make it in this day and age, and if they want more fans, to sell merch and sell CD’s to, they need to be good…and here is where my rant ends and Bad Solution enters.
This EP oozes talent, strut, balls, and the scent of sweat and hard work. The quality of the songwriting and structure blew me away on the 1st play, and with each subsequent spin, they have entered my ears, flown through the bloodstream and started getting hooks into my soul.
The opener, and title track, starts with a beautiful composition of piano and vocals, taking you on the first steps of this song’s journey. As you start to feel the very personal lyrics, it bursts into screaming guitars and blistering drums, before settling on an early BFMV-type, frantic piece of metal mayhem. This is a live anthem if ever there was one, with an eerily Slash-sounding guitar riff.
“Nothing” is a cross between Faith No More and 5FDP, and I can assure you it’s all the best bits. It starts with a rap/scream vocal before blazing into a low growling son of a bitch, with more outstanding guitar work and a real sing-along chorus.
“Dear Sarah” starts with a chugging Metallica beat with a tip of the hat to Lars with the solid and punishing drumbeat. There is also an old school punk feel thrown in for good measure. As each track passes, I just want to see this band live more and more. A studio can never capture the raw aggression of the stage, and these babies were made for a live environment.
As the last track comes on, I am screaming “ Why the Hell is this not a full length!” Four tracks is not enough to appease me. There is nothing on this planet (sex included) that matches that feeling you get when you discover music that rocks you to your core, like a junkie, you want just one more hit, and, in this case, that last hit is “Desert”, which kicks off with a bit of eastern promise, followed by some serious drumming. It is a great finisher, and almost as soon as this started it is all over. The only thing left behind is the impression Bad Solution have made.
You can tell this is a band still finding their way, but I have seen bands on second or third albums who are nowhere near as accomplished or talented. I have a really good feeling about this band and their future, and if they can cut it live anywhere near as good as this EP sounds, they are onto a winner, as are we.
Review: Ritchie Birnie
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