Destroy All Deniers
doomsdayer520 | Pennsylvania | 05/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Wildhearts are one of those bands whose music is so obvious in its hard rock perfection that you'd assume they would appeal to everybody. But a convoluted 17-year history of substance abuse, lineup changes, personal problems, and record company apathy has kept the band from hugeness. However, serious fans can still be blown away by the continual mission of the Wildhearts to rock out with a sound that combines metallic guitar crunch, airtight pop hooks, and an all-around bratty attitude that shows no signs of mellowing with age. This new album returns the Wildhearts to the gritty, skanky depths of their past greatness, after a temporary misstep with their last studio album, the way over-polished Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed in 2003. (Though the band's non-album work during that period rocked out much harder, as can be seen in two compilations that I highly recommend - Riff After Riff and Coupled With.) After that dead-end journey into pop radio rock, head honcho Ginger has rediscovered the mean streak in his writing, and the band has returned to the top of the trashrawk heap.
The recent lineup change (the latest of dozens, it seems) has given the band a more raw and nimble rhythm section in new bassist Scott Sorry and old drummer Ritch Battersby. Ginger and his right-hand man CJ are also working flawlessly as a team, more than ever before. This has enabled the addition of a new element to the Wildhearts sound - lengthy riff workouts featuring tricky timing changes and a level of concentration that is nearly technical metal in intensity. These new-found chops are highly impressive, though they do get a bit out of hand in this album's two eight minute-plus piledrivers - "Rooting for the Bad Guy" and "Slaughtered Authors." But rest assured that the rawk is still alive, with "The Hard Way" and "Bi-Polar Baby" being especially good examples of the band's increasingly flawless and unforced mix of massive metal riffage and sweet pop harmonies. Also of note here is the surprisingly mid-tempo and unassuming "Inner City Overture." Knowledgeable Wildhearts fans will be happy about their return to excellence here, while newer respecters of the rawk will wonder where the band has been all their lives. So why don't those millions of rockers know about the Wildhearts? [~doomsdayer520~]"
Proof that the music industry is lame
Daniel Hlad | San Francisco, CA | 11/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I listen to the self-titled release by The Wildhearts, I can't help but think of a band like Metallica, a band that in the last decade and a half has been handed every fortune and opportunity and has really over-thought how to remain relevant in today's music-scape. They couldn't spend enough money or time making a thoroughly mediocre (at best) album with St. Anger.
In contrast, the Wildhearts likely made this album on a shoe-string, with little label support, barely any publicity and it's one of the most relevant rock records I've heard in many years. I'm bewildered why a major hasn't picked this band up? Twenty-five years ago, this band would have been snatched up in a second and probably would have broke big. It just goes to show how messed up the music industry is right now. It's also sad that this album is almost impossible to pick up in a record store in the states. I had to order mine through an on-line import service. The cheapest I could find it was $25, likely limiting it's accessibility to the average rock record buyer.
The album itself is total chaos without an ounce of randomness. The songs are tight, heavy, brilliant, topical, and melodic all at the same time. Normally when I see an 8 minute song on an album I'm expecting something completely self-absorbed, but these work and aren't drawn out at all. Every song is great, the production is great, and the addition of bassist Scott Sorry just makes this album more interesting.
Find this album. It won't make them famous, but that's not their fault. It's a great album."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1