Detroit glam for a new generation
In terms of ‘80s style glam punk, the modern interpretation is sort of missing its forefront figure. Now Timmy’s Organism is a little heavier than your stereotypical glam rock band, in fact, they would be self-proclaimed as “acid glam.” The Detroit band by way of Jack White’s Third Man Records has a garage rock tone to it, but its simplicity in this compliments itself to its own sound, as listeners will see on their newest release, Survival of the Fiendish.
“Guzzle Gasoline” kicks off the record with a catchy guitar riff and a snarly, ‘80s style, almost David Lee Roth type of voice from lead singer Timmy Vulgar. There is something extremely raw and bitter within the production here. As the lyrics mention “this sound is a force of nature.”
A lot of these early tracks like “Green Grass” and “Murder City Mayhem” follow the same formula of a guitar riff, Vulgar’s Van Halen imitation and yet solid instrumentals. “South Shore Train” is sort of an outlier as it slows the album down to a rock ballad reminiscent of something Guns N’ Roses would do with “November Rain.” Vulgar’s pitchy voice compliments itself more on the faster tracks, and here listeners’ can notice a sort of imbalance within the vocal track.
“Bitter Pill” is one of the more enjoyable tracks on the album. It has a great guitar solo that picks itself up with its backing drum track. The background vocals around a minute and a half into the track really compliment, yet counter Vulgar’s vocals. It leads nicely into the highlight of the track which is that guitar solo mentioned before.
This album grows tired after a while. Some of these tracks reach over five minutes, which seems hardly necessary considering the album’s content isn’t operatic by any stretch of the imagination. The similarity in tracks and Vulgar’s voice really tire, and if you aren’t a fan of this ‘80s style of punk, this may not be the album for you. It doesn’t do anything too unique or revolutionary instrumentally, and although fans of the band are sure to enjoy it, it may not be for a new generation of punk fans.
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