By James Ballinger
I’m going to start this review off with a confession. I’ve fucking never read Dune. There, it’s out in the open, and it feels good to get that off my chest. So I’m not going to make any Dune references to the bands name or album title. But I can’t think of a record I’ve listened to more over the past two years then the Sandrider self-titled debut. It’s practically been the soundtrack of just about every party-pre-funk-shower beer drinking-getting ready to go rage moment I’ve had over the last few years. That’s also not to mention the countless beers chugged at the dozen or more times I’ve seen the band live, in several states might I add. Needless to say, my expectations are very high for the forthcoming full-length, “Godhead”. From the humble beginnings of an Akimbo side-project between drummer Nat Damm, and bassist/vocalist Jon Weisnewski as a means to start writing and playing songs on guitar, to becoming on of the biggest bands in Seattle at the moment, it’s been a interesting thing to watch. It’s a pure rock and roll takeover, and you better jump on board, or get the fuck out the way.
More then anything, this record starts out with a bold statement. “Akimbo is gone, you’ll have to manage. We aren’t Akimbo, and to prove it, we are going to open with a ‘We Will Rock You-esque’ drum beat.” While that might not have been the idea behind it, it exists, and the album opener “Ruiner” absolutely kills. Kills it dead. Tracks “Castle” and “Tide” keep things going, and picks up a even more steam with the first released track “Gorgon”. A more even paced and up tempo track, it’s a perfect blast of energy before slowing down a bit with the title track “Godhead”. One of the albums defining moment, “Godhead” starts off hypnotically and continues to pulsate along a guitar lead, leading up to a breakneck riff that keeps going until a genuinely beautiful chorus. From there, the goods keep coming one after one. All in all, each one of these 10 tracks is a winner, closing out with “Traveler”, bringing everything to a perfect ending of a perfect record.
“Godhead” is a different beast altogether, as the S/T release was recorded intended as a demo, and it just so happened to be good enough to be released as-is, thanks to the bombastic production of Matt Bayles. As the band made the always wise decision to record with Bayles again, “Godhead” feels less like a heavy record, and more like a big budget rock record. It’s less abrasive, but that isn’t a band thing. It’s a cohesive work, that flows well and remains consistent, even if the record isn’t much longer then the debut. There’s a lot packed into these 10 tracks, a true forward progression firmly crowning them the new kings of Seattle rock.
http://www.goodtodierecords.com/band/sandrider/
http://store.goodtodierecords.com/products/3391047-sandrider-godhead-lp
