THE RODS – Brotherhood Of Metal

Listeners familiar with The Rods wouldn’t dispute the bands assertion they are one of the most authentic American Metal bands of the early 80s. They state their latest album stayed true to their roots while reflecting their maturation as songwriters. If you are a die-hard fan of The Rods, you’ll enjoy the low frills romp through the past. However, if you’re looking for modern and mature, you’ll be disappointed.

The lack of sophistication is immediately obvious during the title track.  An overly long piano intro and passionless vocal delivery bleed away tension as quickly as it’s developed. A monster opening riff is neutered by a shockingly amateur mix squelching the guitar to bring in a crippled rhythm section. While the bass maintains a healthy rumble, the drums are saturated with treble and offer little in the way of low end punch.  Lyrically, it overflows with metal clichés.  Keyboards and backing vocals elevate the chorus keeping this song from sinking too low for redemption.

Having set the template, most of the remaining songs are shallow derivatives of the songs from similar bands or even their own.  “Louder Than Loud” channels Black Sabbath’s “Mob Rules” while paying homage to Lemmy and everything louder than every catch phrase of Metal. This song gets a nod for your playlist based on Spinal Tap excess alone. “Tyrant King” sounds like “Power Lover” from their debut album. With a chorus limited to the song title, the lyrics wear thin quickly.

“Party All Night” abandons the deep ruts of their home track trusting a funky bass line and an unusually peppy vocal performance to carry the song. Unfortunately, it’s wasted on a lazily repetitive chorus. An opportunity to insert a crushing guitar solo is missed as the song abruptly ends on a chorus refrain. For “Everybody’s Rockin’,” the vocalist included himself and delivered an inspired performance.  Combined with well-placed keyboard fills, a thick bass sound and bursts of guitar fire, it demonstrates the sound that could’ve been throughout.

The band states “If you like the first song, then the odds are you’ll like the whole album. It’s balls-to-the-wall heavy metal, song after song. No ballads and nothing your mom will be humming” This is true. If you aren’t initially impressed, there’s little you will find particularly inspiring about Brotherhood Of Metal. There are excellent Brainstem Metal riffs that even Anvil would be proud of, but their energy is sapped by a weak vocal performance.  Spending more effort improving the vocal mix and adding backing vocals would’ve improved these songs.

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TRACKLIST (Highlights: 1, 2, 4)

1. Brotherhood Of Metal 7:28
2. Everybody’s Rockin’ 3:57
3. Smoke On The Horizon 4:47
4. Louder Than Loud 4:15
5. Tyrant King 4:38
6. Party All Night 2:49
7. Tonight We Ride 4:40
8. 1982 5:16
9. Hell On Earth 4:20
10. The Devil Made Me Do It 3:54
11. Evil In Me 6:26

LINEUP

David “Rock” Feinstein (guitars, vocals)
Carl Canedy (drums)
Gary Bordonaro (bass)