Review by Ritchie Birnie for MPM
It is album number six for the Texan five piece. This band is probably my favourite band of the last decade and having written a review for every album since “Burn the Ships” this is the first review I have not begged them to come to the UK as they finally toured over here and twice in a year. Two shows that were incredible so before I start giving the praise that this release deserves, I give a heartfelt thanks for finally getting over the pond.
Fans will love this after one listen, after 10 it could very well become your favourite album as it is that good. It is the band’s usual mix of riff heavy beasts and beautifully poignant numbers that showcases Matt James incredible voice.
Track one is “Gutshot” and I have never heard a song more aptly named. The chugging riffs are as swampy as hell and the fretwork is stunning. This song is as dangerous as the Texan alligators, coyotes, mountain lions and as spiky as a Texan horned lizard. This is how you make an entrance.
“10 Year Itch” digs out another riff to die for. The drums will pummel your ears and as it burries into your brain it becomes as infectious as Covid 19 wasn’t. The catchy chorus is there, the beats are brutal and my god those guitars are unbelievable.
We may only have been two songs in but we needed a break already so the smoother pace of “Big Blue Letdown” is a welcome treat. Founding member Nathan Gillis is like an unrelenting metronome on the drums and Matt just sounds sublime. This is a slowburner from the heavens above.
We have a new direction on “Raised by Wolves”. This is almost a Yellowstone soundtrack number. It may make you think of the song “Wild Horses” and it certainly hits like that number. BTM really know how to make simple sound like an orchestrated masterpiece.
Matt Curtis does his very best flea impersonation on “S.A.D”. This starts with a post grunge feel but man when this goes off on one it takes bodies like Jeffrey Dahmer on an empty stomach. This was a highlight moment on the album for me. Heavy as hell and a band on fire.
Halleluja, the riffs are back with a vengeance on “Put Down the Dog”. Matt sounds as if he is in pain here and what a strong vocal performance but I sat here and thought this band just never misses. I cannot name one bad track from them and their songwriting is as strong as the best Rock and Metal bands out there. The guitars take you on a journey during the breakdown amid a very spooky atmosphere.
Gimme a hell yeah for “Time the Killer”, a Southern dipped mutherfucker of a song. We get a song with a Texan drawl and a cowbell for accentuation. Dig out your dungarees and muscle tops for a trip to the bar where the stage is covered in chicken wire and the bikers are restless. Pour me some bourbon, hit me with some slide geetar and I am never leaving this place.
I had already fell in love with this album and they go and throw “Stranger” at me. Is there a singer out there that gets you so engaged as Matt? There is a real U2 feel to the guitars but Bono cannot hold a candle to Matt here. This is a stunning track and when it broke down the first thing I of thought was the band Creed and yes, Scott Stapp can be pulled out as an perfect accolade as these are two phenomenal singers. Stick on the headphones to really appreciate the guitar work here.
As we start to bow out of the album we sort of slither through the last two tracks and on “Lay Here and Die” we get as close to 90s grunge as you can today. That guitar flick, the almost jazzy drums and that powerful bass. You can feel the depression that Grunge captured and this homage is as powerful as the Seattle scene could muster back in the day.
When the acoustic comes out on “Little White Orchids” I instantly knew something special was brewing and when Matt’s angelic voice foats to your ears you can do nothing but agree with me”. These boys know how to grab your heart and squeeze.this is a song of pure perfection.
I am a realist and with every album I await with dread for the time the band dissapoint me. Very negative I know but even the bands I have followed for four decades have let me down at some point but this band refuse to let their fans down. They fire out an album every other year and not once have I felt that they just churned out the numbers.
Discount Fireworks is among the band’s best work to date and every one of the ten tracks will hold something for every single fan. You get the riffs, the dark and the light and a band that refuses to lower its standards. They grow with each album and they deserve to be one of the biggest bands on the planet through sheer talent and a refusal to not take that step forward.
