General Bastard
“Revolution Rock”
2013
Anarchist Rock, that’s what I would call this. This album is skilled and angry.
The intro starts with what could have been recorded from a political rally, with a subtle intro of palm muted riffs, which changes into a catchy beat. The riffing is minimal and very rhythmic, but these guys don’t lack guitar skills. The song transits to a very old school rock/metal vibe…
The whole album has a great variety, from the old school metal to a rock and roll vibe and even some thrash. The unconnected sequences between some songs remind me of System of a Down, which makes sense due to anarchic nature of that band. But unfortunately, the songs are too short to be enjoyed fully. The vocals are nothing impressive either. But I do suppose what matters is the message delivered for these guys, rather than how. And it’s a pity really, because the guitars are decent and the drums are powerful and solid. Even the bass guitar gets its occasional highlight.
That fishing in a canoe song was a vibe killer though.
The album is mixed very well, where the slowest and fastest snippets of music are always decent sounding. The mastering per se is good, not impressive but the clarity and fidelity of the songs makes up for a good production.
The album art, although uncommon as a concept, is rather unimpressive and a poor photo manipulation which does not reflect the same effort taken in the songwriting and recording. It does somehow reflect the album’s demeanor, but sadly it won’t attract much people in a store.
Will I listen to it again? Doubtful, it’s far from my personal cup of tea and with some of the songs being excessively short, I’m not keen on going on sample sized tracks, for it gives me no real pleasure. I don’t deny the skills from the musicians; they just need to further balance out their songs.
Tracklist:
1. Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
2. Movin’ On Up
3. Casey Anthony
4. GDMSOB
5. Fishin’ In A Canoe
6. Surf Nacho Libre
7. Jesus Ain’t Gonna Save Ya
8. There’s a Deal Going Down
9. Fuck Kim Kardashian
10. Having An Average Weekend
11. Veinte/Not The American Dream
12. Devil and the Deep Blue Sea(solo Mix)
Favorite track is 6
https://www.facebook.com/GeneralBastard
Members:
General Bastard – Guitars/Vocals
Colonel Slanders – Bass
Major Disaster – Drums
Rating: 6 out of 10
~Carnivean