Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Blood Lust

[giantchris]

Track 1 - I'll Cut You Down
Starting with an ominous swell and some clips of someone flipping channels through bad tv shows on an analog set until it settles on the opening melody which starts a rhythm section vamp up into the main riff.  Then blasts into a drunken shuffle.  Followed by reverb drenched retro clean vocals.  The chorus is a really cool rhythmic variation off the verse riff's.  Nice melodic solo in this song too.  It kinda comes up out of nowhere after the first chorus and it's a nice change of what you were kind of expecting to be a typical ABABCBA song format like so many other retro bands.

Track 2 - Death's Door

Nice clean bass tone here at the beginning and a good ramp up into the main song section which turns into another really cool chugging riff. One great thing is about this part is the entire band really commits to supporting the riff nicely and doesn't succumb to putting a distracting lead or obnoxious fills to break the momentum.  A simple chord change chorus which meshes with part of the main riff is nicely inserted to break up the song.  Good fuzzed out guitar solo a lot longer and more dynamic then the soloing in the first track with some nice licks and then some cool variations off the main melody.  Very nice phrasing during the solo.  Really cool bridge on this song comes in unexpectedly and builds into an even better solo then the first one in this song.  Some very tasteful bluesy shredding as the song fades out.

Track 3 - Over and Over Again   

The main riff in this song wouldn't strike me as out of place on Sabbath's Volume IV.  Still an old-school rock/shuffle kinda beat but at a faster tempo then the first two songs and a lot more broken up on the drums which spaces it out more then the chug of the first two tracks.  The last half of this song is basically one giant dual guitar solo.  I have to compliment the mix on this section you can really pick out the individual performances. 

Track 4 - Curse in the Trees

This track is sure to be the favorite of most of the people on this forum.  Starts off with a pure doom riff into a cool build into another verse section.  The picked up speed verse section is a pretty awesome riff which kinda reminds me of the faster parts in Faires Wear Boots.  Nice use of flange on the rhythm guitars in the middle bridge.  Two guitar solos in this one two the final one the guitarist finally commits to the full on shredding he hinted he was capable of earlier in the album.

Track 5 - I'm Here to Kill You

Really cool drumming in this one which sounds like some nice cymbal/hi-hat work on the verses that you have to listen closely to pick out.   The solo in this song really reminds me of Zappa with the phrasing.  The highlight of this song for me is the outro after the soloing that really pays off the huge buildup throughout the song.     

Track 6 - 13 Candles

A return to the old school rock shuffle of tracks 1-2.  I really like how this band breaks up the rhythms on this song during the verse/chorus transitions.  They successfully hold the listener's attention despite the fact that a large portion of the song has the same basic feel.  The dual guitar outro after the solo comes out of nowhere and is pretty damn cool too.  I can't help but feeling that this song would have been much cooler if it wasn't on the same album as tracks 1-2.  In my ADD generation you need to vary your feel a little more on the rhythms.

Track 7 - Ritual Knife

Starts with a great pulling riff that they move over a progression.  Cool use of flange on the little pre-chorus again the rhythm player gets a nice organy sound.  My ear isn't amazing as some of the people on this forum but this song reeks of a 12-bar blues to me.   

Track 8 - Withered Hand of Evil

Cool intro with what sounds like a mellotron doing harmony in the background giving a nice vibe over the doomy opener.  Main riff is great another shuffle-type riff but the drums in this part are a lot more varied then earlier in the album which gives it a looser feel.  Nice bringing back the mellotron/synth during the choruses and bridge/outro.  This song is probably the second best track on the album after Curse in the Trees.   

Track 9 - Down to the Fire

The final track which starts with mostly silence and some bird sounds for 30 seconds.  It always slightly annoys me when non-ambient bands do this on tracks because it makes me feel like I am paying for wasted time on the album (I'M LOOKING AT YOU PELICAN ON YOUR LAST EP I PAID 5 BUCKS FOR 18 MINUTES 1 OF WHICH WAS NOTHING HAPPENING).  Really nice acoustic playing on this song cool riff and some really nice transitions at the end of the phrases very impressive melodic phrasing on the single note runs.  IS THAT A PAN FLUTE SOLO IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS SONG?  OH I BELIEVE IT IS!  (or it's a synth doing an approximation).  Kind of a nice break  and gives the middle section of the song a medieval vibe.  Nice drawdown at the end and a fitting conclusion to the album.

Things I Liked 

Nice fuzzed out guitar tones and the vocal effects are pretty cool.  I really liked the soloist throughout he kept varying his phrasing and was able to nicely cast a mood and didn't use repetitive tricks.  You could even tell he was holding back at some points.  Nice and tasteful use of effects throughout the album and the minimal synth usage really added some flavor.  I also really liked the songwriting they didn't keep to the same layout on everything and a lot of the choruses kept the same kind fo feel as the verses but were very different.

Things I Did Not Like

Mix seemed a little off some parts of songs had parts of the drum kit almost disappearing during certain song sections after reading some interviews with the main guy from this project sounds like he didn't have much of a budget and being a first album totally forgivable.  Another thing that might turn off some listeners is there really is a lot of the same kind of blues/shuffle throughout large chunks of the album.  If you don't know what I mean by this listen to pretty much any of George Thorogood's main songs (particularly the rhythm section during Bad to the Bone).  It sounds a bit fresher on this album but this type of rhythm has been around since Robert Johnson's time.  Also some of the songs could have benefitted from some variation on the effects on the vocals. 

Conclusion

Overall I thought it was a pretty cool album.  Which is why I reviewed it. 

[The Bandit]

I love this band and appreciate the review, but this isn't their first album.  That would be Vol 1.

[giantchris]

I love this band and appreciate the review, but this isn't their first album.  That would be Vol 1.

whoops.  Literally just bought the record and was surprised people here had never really mentioned it so I figured I would review it.  Fuckin great album. 

[CanookieWookie]

While I like it, and have two different cd versions of it, I find Uncle Acid is a lot of hype, and not as "great" as to be believed.  Now with this being said, I still will buy the new one coming out.

[The Shocker]

I've got vinyl and CD. I really like them a lot.

[CanookieWookie]

I have the original cd and then the Rise Above reissue.  I was late on getting a copy of Vol. 1.

[The Shocker]

Wasn't there just an insanely limited number of them?  Any difference between the original and the Rise Above CD's?

[CanookieWookie]

Vol.1 had, I believe, only 20 copies available on cd  (btw Vol. 1 was just a mp3 recording on a cd-r).  I have not opened the Rise Above one yet (I have a stack of 30 or so cds I need to hear), but it says it has a bonus song.  However I do believe the original one also has one.  If you want me to check them, let me know. 

[The Shocker]

Sure I am curious. The LP doesnt have that Down to the Fire track. Maybe that is the bonus track.

I actually like vol 1 better. A little more psychedelic.

[CanookieWookie]

I agree Vol. 1 is better.  I'll put them both on now, and see what the difference is.

[CanookieWookie]

Both cd's have the same bonus song.  The Rise Above release sounds louder.

[stooge]

my fave album from the last year
yeah i know it even came out in 2011 but i have since last summer or so
can´t wait to see them at roadburn

[The Bandit]

my fave album from the last year
yeah i know it even came out in 2011 but i have since last summer or so
can´t wait to see them at roadburn

Take some pictures if you can.  Aren't many of them (only one that I know of).

[stooge]

i actually found 2 that dont quite fit together
one b/w where they look as expected (long hair)
and one that shows some like 19 year old dudes that look like some preppy indie band
dunno which is the right one or if any of them is or if the band improved their looks
anyway i´ll find out in april and yes i will take pictures
just like everybody i guess

[The Bandit]

I've seen the preppy indie band photo.

[Yupr]

I dig these guys. Death's Door is pretty sweet.

[The Bandit]

New album is coming out soon.  Can't wait.

[jedbangers]

I really liked "Blood Lust" and I'm pretty excited for the new one. Having said that.. did anyone noticed how similar is the main riff on "I'll cut you down" to the mainone in Supa Scoopa?

Listen the riff at 0:45

and now listen the riff at 1:01

[gritty_fingers]

I like to pick up Vol.1 but I don't see it anywhere in the states.

[CanookieWookie]

Vol.1, I believe, only had about 20 copies made, and from my understanding, it was only done in mp3.

[The Shocker]

And they go for ridiculous prices. 

[CanookieWookie]

Not worth it.

[The Shocker]

Already put my order in for Mind Control.  Both CD & Vinyl.

[CanookieWookie]

I'll buy the cd.  I know the mp3's are floating around, but I will wait for the actual release.  I hope they drift a bit away from their sound, from the first two releases.

[The Shocker]

I heard the single and liked it.  Vocals were a little more polished.