Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we dive into some musical new-old-stock together. What I mean by this is, the album we're looking at tonight - Resurrection by Mickey Homicide, was uploaded to streaming services just last year, however the songs were written and recorded back in the 90s. So there you have it: new old stock.
Some of you may remember a review I did back in December for an artist by the name of Reckless Velvet. Well he's back, this time as a member of Mickey Homicide, alongside singer Adam Webster, bassist Matthew Andrewartha, and drummer Daniel Noss to complete the fearsome foursome. What immediately excites me about this record is how reminiscent it is to 80s and 90s metal. What keeps me excited, are the different flavors and genres that we pick up along the way. The opening track, par exemple, "Collection of Fools" is essentially a metal-ized drinking song. And what fascinates my eardrums even further, is the undertones of swing that is present in their sound. It is the second track, "The Little Green Elephant," where the swing comes to the forefront and the metal waits until around the 2:00 mark to break back in. Green Elephant is bluesy and swingy, and makes me think of what it would sound like if Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats went metal. Some punk too, but mostly metal. Metal punk? Punk metal? The instrumentation is where the metal comes from, while the vocalists' showman-y style is what reminds me of vintage punk.
One note I have to make here, and it can be taken generally as an all-encompassing note, but it is more specifically concerning the track "Into My Room." I love the sound they were going for. The sexy and aggressive guitar tone is spot on, and the raspy-angsty vocals compliment these tones perfectly. What I wish they did differently, however, was turn the bass way up. The bass groove is the unsung hero of this song, and it deserves a spotlight. If they turned it way up so you could hear it over the guitars during the verses and bridge, then allow the guitars to come in over it during the choruses and solos, you'd have my pick for coolest song of the year. It's certainly still up there, but it just falls shy with that bass groove being lost in the mix.
To no one's surprise, the guitar work on this album is simply marvelous. The tone throughout the whole record, and the solos that are done are just the right mix of technical and soulful. What surprised me about this record, was the range captured by the vocalist. One minute he's reminding me of Irish drinking songs, then metal Brian Setzer, then a less-bothersome James Hetfield (See "Move Over Sister" for the best Metallica song not recorded by Metallica, with some guest vocals by Jim Morrison of The Doors.) There is so much range and variety on this record, it's a shame it wasn't released sooner.
Resurrection - Mickey Homicide
9 - 6 - 2020
(Recorded in early 90's)
1. Collection Of Fools
2. The Little Green Elephant
3. Poor Little Hitchhiker
4. Into My Room
5. Sex Toy
6. She Doesn't Love Me
7. Move Over Sister
8. Underneath My Bed
Favorite Track: Into My Room
Least Favorite Track: She Doesn't Love Me
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