Monster Truck
Sittin’ Heavy
(Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group)
Monster Truck are a four-piece rock band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who have performed at Download Festival, toured with Alice In Chains and Vista Chino and won the 2013 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of The Year.
Opener ‘Why Are You Not Rocking?’ sets the overall tone of the album perfectly as the band explains “Rock n roll might save your life, might save your life tonight”. The song captures those moments of going to a gig in an intimate, sweaty club or bar and just rocking out perfectly.
‘Ain’t Nobody Gonna Tell Me How To Live’ is a lively number as the band go full throttle. The music video for this song was recorded on an oil rig during a snowstorm. The electric guitar soars throughout the track like a rock eagle and it showcases their talents as musicians.
The lead vocals from Jon Harvey (Lead Vocalist/Bassist) have a real fire about them but unlike some outfits who have a designated ‘screamer’, you can clearly hear everything he sings and his energy comes through.
‘She’s A Witch’ is an incredibly funny song as the band sing ‘She’s got a demon in her soul!’ and the electric guitar is at the forefront of the song. It is just really fun to listen to and it is perfect to headbang to when you think no one is watching.
‘For The People’ transports you back to Woodstock and the idea of peace and love throughout the world. This song does put a smile on your face as the electric guitar solo courtesy of Jeremy Widerman reminds me of Southern Rock artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and Blackberry Smoke.
It is clear that Monster Truck have but some work into the vocal arrangements on the album as they are crisp and the material is technically flawless.
The Hammond organ intro from Brandon Bliss on ‘Lay Down Here Till Tomorrow’ is stunning and compliments their classic rock sound beautifully. It sounds like the co-producer Eric Ratz had Joe Bonamassa’s ‘Sloe Gin’ and King King’s latest album ‘Reaching For the Light on in the studio in terms of the song’s production especially on the vocals. Definitely my favourite track on the album as it showcases the band’s versatility.
‘Things Get Better’ has some really funky drumming from Steve Kiely that blends well with Jon Harvey on bass. I think this should be the new British National Anthem as it taps into the very British idea of ‘ things could be worse’. The line ‘I’ve got a feeling things will get worse before they get better’ makes me think about what people say when you ask them how they are in the UK; ‘Yeah. I’m not bad.’ Talk about lowering your expectations!
It is never nice to stereotype but some things that the land of Canada is well-known for includes maple syrup, Michael Buble, Bryan Adams and their love of ice hockey. ‘The Enforcer’ is Monster Truck’s ode to ice hockey as they reference the sport’s brutality ‘Someone’s begging for a broken nose!’ I can see this track being a live favourite as it gives people the opportunity to sing and clap along. The Monster Truck branded hockey sticks are only a matter of time I think.
‘New Soul’ is essentially a love song with some kick-ass riffs. One thing to note is that although these songs are on a studio album the way they have been performed and produced means that when they are performed in a live environment the songs should have the same power that they had in the studio. They’ve clearly thought about how the songs would sound at live shows during the recording process which is very sensible as you can have acts that sound great on CD but dreadful live and visa versa.
Closing track ‘Enjoy the Time’ is about living life to the full and just enjoying the moments in life that you have and it does bring a bit of a tear to your eye but in a good way. At a time when we’ve lost some really respected people including Alan Rickman, David Bowie, Otis Clay, Lemmy of Motorhead and others you do think about your own existence and how you should try an enjoy every moment you can in life. An emotional song that is well-executed.
In conclusion, ‘Sittin’ Heavy’ is one of the best rock albums of 2016 so far because a lot of time and effort has been put into the recording to showcase that Monster Truck sound. The album shows the light and shade of Monster Truck’s material as one minute they are proclaiming a woman has a demon in her soul and the next they are singing about living your life to the full. One thing I would like to recommend is that the album is the perfect driving album so if you get the CD, put it on in your car and in the words of Spinal Tap ‘Turn it up to eleven!’
Glenn Sargeant
Monster Truck’s new album ‘Sittin Heavy’ is released on Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group in the UK and Europe and on Dine Alone Records in the US on Friday 19th February 2016. In addition, Monster Truck will play a one-off UK show at the famous 100 Club in London, United Kingdom on Tuesday 5th April 2016. Tickets are available here: http://www.livenation.co.uk/show/794343/monster-truck/London/2016-04-05/en
For more information visit: www.ilovemonstertruck.com
(Thanks to Lee Puddefoot at Mascot Label Group for help with this review)
