Face-Melting Renegades or Production-Plagued Wrecking Crew?
Echo Scale™: ★★★ (3.5)
“Tremor” is a tale of two albums. On one hand, you have Superseed, a four-man juggernaut of raw, riff-heavy rock from Bristol. They’re a band so clearly bursting with talent that they make a sonic gut-punch feel like a warm hug. Their self-described blend of MC5’s fury and Queens of the Stone Age’s desert swagger is no exaggeration; it’s a genuine testament to their songwriting prowess. On the other hand, you have a perplexing, inconsistent production job that, at times, makes it sound like the album was mixed in a car wash.
This is a hard-rocking album with a seriously hard-to-swallow mix.
Riffs That Stick Like Napalm, Sound That Sticks to Your Shoe
The album kicks off with “Stand Your Ground,” a track with a killer opening riff that’s spoiled by a flubby, overly low end heavy mix and guitars that desperately need a boost in the mids. The vocals are strong and the songwriting is genuinely catchy, but the production is all over the place, with an out-of-control low end and a grating high end. This theme rears its head again on “Ball and Chain,” where a brilliant, riff-heavy track is marred by a peaking kick drum… this is basic stuff that isn’t being thought about. The drums, though played well, sound like somebody hitting Tupperware with a wooden spoon.
But then, something miraculous happens.
The Echo Scale Rises on a Great Mistake
On “Big Mistake” and later, “Hail Brother,” the production takes a much-needed step up, and the effect is nothing short of glorious. Here is Superseed at their peak: massive, chunky riffs and harmonized vocals that are a bit reminiscent of Ghost. This is proof that Superseed are excellent musicians, “Big Mistake”, ironically one of the few tracks where the mix isn’t a big mistake. “Hail Brother” follows suit, with a Rob Zombie vibe, and it allows Superseed’s talent to really shine through.
The album takes a momentary detour into punk territory with the title track “Tremor,” which showcases the band’s versatility but suffers from the same production issues. The bass is so enormous it’s drowning out even the vocals, veering from “punk style raw recording” into “just sounding bad.” It’s followed by “Wake,” a brooding track that proves their atmospheric chops are as strong as their riff-making, before things get flubby again with the bass-heavy “Get It Straight.” This song, with its numetal/skate punk vibes, is literally a road map of how to write a song that I in particular will enjoy, but it’s ultimately spoiled by a nonsensical mix.
A Final, Sweet Note
Just as you’re ready to throw your headphones across the room, the album’s latter half shows glimmers of hope. On “Give Me Something,” the band leans into their stonery, groovy side with a stunning main hook, and the drummer is the star of the show with some smart, mature choices. For the more introspective “Towards the Sun,” you wonder if the vocalist and the microphone in separate rooms when they recorded this, but the song itself is a banger with tasteful and expressive guitar work, free of mindless fret wanking.
The album’s grand finale, “Mage Ranger,” is the true showstopper. The doomy, sludgy, stonery goodness of the intro evolves seamlessly into a tight groove. This is possibly the best-recorded song on the entire album, a constantly evolving track with huge vocal lines, great tasteful guitars full of chug and drive, and a really well thought out rhythm section. It’s a great song, and a positive note to end on.
The Verdict
This is a hard one, because I respect and admire these guys as musicians. The songs on display here if produced well would honestly earn them something in excess of 4.5, but given the dog shit mix in a lot of the songs, I have to review the whole package. What I will say is, I want to see these guys live, I know full well these guys are good and I know these songs would just blow me away in a club or at a festival
Echo Scale™:★★★ (3.5)
Prove me wrong next time out guys!
