Watch Out – She Bites

The Distillers’ major-label debut comes with a lot of pop and speed despite a summer of friction for lead singer Brody Dalle. Coral Fang, their third full-length, is cleaner and not as heavy as their previous albums, but that doesn’t mean the Distillers are going the way of so many other punk bands before them. This one wasn’t meant to be typical radio play and tough Distillers’ fans shouldn’t pass up the chance to get out and hear it. Fang comes packed with personality and is still dug in deep with their roots. The album builds off of their earlier releases and comes with all of the Distillers’ garage attitude, enhanced with a strong presence, fast beats, and great screaming.This summer brought about the divorce of Dalle from her husband Tim Armstrong (Rancid, The Transplants) and while we’ll not dwell on that, it has no doubt been a major influence on the new album. The lyrics paint a scene of violence and anger, death and suicide; almost masked by the pop and jump of the music.

The album starts strong and fast and never slows even through the tense acoustic track ‘Hunger’ to finish with heavy-hitting, string wrenching, vocal scratching, 12.5 minute ‘Death Sex’. Fang continues the tough punk attitude of the Distillers, and don’t let the new label fool you – this great band’s refined sound and growing potential demand a lot of respect.