All Teeth, No Bite
From LA has emerged many a Sabertooth Tiger specimen—the prehistoric felines’ fossils from the La Brea Tarpits and now the politically-charged rock band from the city’s music underground. With their debut Extinction is Inevitable they hope to draw the connection between the demise of their namesake and the course that the human race has set for itself.Guitarist Aaron Farley and bassist Chris Burnett share vocal duties, with Dave Ferrara handling the drums with a great deal of help from Jon Theodore (The Mars Volta) and Erin Garcia (Brother Reade) on this recording. Alex Newport (Nailbomb, Fudge Tunnel) is behind the controls, and while he likely shares their leanings towards political awareness, he lends them none of the monstrous guitar tone he invokes in his own projects, instead leaning more towards the trebly tone he produced for At the Drive-In.
They claim punk influence without tuning into its concise, urgent punch. While the lyrics are saturated with biting commentary of Capitalist society or the plight of the oppressed, their message and music never fully coalesce into a substantial blow. The revolutionary imagery of workers casting off the chains of their corrupt bosses in “Argentina” doesn’t have as much impact when juxtaposed with the petty scene politics of “Indie-gestion,” with it’s especially poignant line “These suits that have your backs / Are stabbing pitchforks in.” While their message may be imperative, Farley and Burnett’s voices can border on irritating with their sometimes nasal shouts.
While the songs generally tend to drag on longer than they need to, there are some tracks that shine through. “Love Money” and “The Sixties” are two sonically solid tracks, both featuring the relentless drumming of Theodore. The Sabertooth Tiger was a powerful beast. This band has the desire but lacks the ferocity to be a heavyweight capable of invoking fear in its enemies.
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