Customer Reviews

Devil's Brigade

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4 star:		(1)
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I'm kind of surprised that, up to this writing, no one has written a review for this record yet here.

So...

Devil's Brigade is the new project featuring bassist Matt Freeman (Operation Ivy/ Rancid/ Social Distortion). If you know those names then you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect to here: raw, rollicking rock and roll with one step in punk, and a dash of rockabilly/ psychobilly thrown in for good measure.

Freeman is a pretty amazing bass player, his bass fills offering countless melodies to Rancid songs in addition to making many jaws drop. The bass on this record is a little more rythymic than leading, but it fits the music well. Freeman's voice is as gruff as they come, but it adds character to the songs. The guitar, provided by OPIVY/ Rancid's Tim Armstrong, is good driving, and the drums keep time perfectly fine, rarely surprising but complimenting the overall sound of the record.

Lyrically the record is strong, and though some may not enjoy Freeman's voice (though I'm fairly sure no one who would be bothered to check out this record if they weren't already a fan), the melodies are strong and Freeman carries them well. In fact, when Armstrong and fellow Rancid member Lars Frederickson turn up on "Bridge of Gold", it slows the momentum down a bit to hear other voices.

In all honesty, I have nothing negative to say about this disc really. The songs are fast, catchy and well performed. The record goes by in just over thirty minutes and never slows down. Each song is good, and this is easily the best Rancid affiliated project since Frederickson's self titled debut back in 2001. Fans of Rancid, punk, psychobilly or just good old fashioned rock and roll should thoroughly enjoy this record.

I have to say of all the rancid side projects this is me favorite. Matt Freeman was born to rock an upright bass. The track " Gentleman of the road" is be far me absolute favorite. Great song writing on every track.