Album Review: Acid's Trip - Strings Of Soul

On the title track to this record, the line is sung that, "it's pure rock and roll". It's funny how different that statement reads today, as opposed to the mid 70s, which is when Acid's Trip wishes they were making music. Part of the vintage rock revival, their sound is of that classic time, and continues to sound refreshing against the backdrop of ultra loud, ultra saturated, screaming bro-ness that stands in for rock and roll in many places. Acid Trip's guitars are wonderfully under-gained, with that organic sound you can't replicate when you try to play on the edge of heaviness. It's the sort of thing that does rock, but not with such ferocity it wears you out rather than make you want to stick around.

"The Kiss Riff" is very much accurate as a title, but perhaps they could have come up with a title that indicates the song has some sort of meaning to them other than sounding like a classic Kiss song. I've seen plenty of bands give their works-in-progress such titles so they can keep them straight during the process, but they always back-fill them with real title once they write lyrics. I'm not sure why Acid's Trip didn't do the same, because the unspoken implication here is that they didn't put any more thought into the song once they came up with that familiar feeling riff.

"No More Fucks" is the hardest and most energetic song on the record, as it should be. Unfortunately, with the production obscuring some of the vocals, it's hard to discern exactly why the band is declaring their supply to be depleted. That matters less on "Just A Man", where the jaunty song and the catchy melody make up for any bit of haze that may pervade. It's these numbers that have less attitude where the band is at their best. The punkier numbers don't hit as hard as they need to, because neither the guitars nor Acid's voice snarl quite enough.

They are better when they settle into the vintage-by-way-of-stoner approach Lucifer has taken on their last two records. It's a sound that is old-school and melodic, but fuzzy and off the beaten path. If Acid's Trip has stayed in that realm a bit more often, this record would have a lot of charm. Songs like "Faster, Chopper, Boogie" just don't hold a lot of appeal for me. I like them when they come across like a melodic hard rock band being played back in mono. That sound doesn't capture heaviness well, so those songs don't have the elements needed to balance out the lack of big hooks.

I'll end by throwing a couple of comparisons out there. Sonically, Acid's Trip sits somewhere between the aforementioned Lucifer, and Thundermother. The difference is that both of those bands have been leaning in more melodic territory, and it has done them a world of good. Acid's Trip can absolutely do that too, and they do on several tracks on this record, but I think they need to figure out what exactly they want to be before they make their next record. If they focus on an identity, they can make a great record. This one is mixed, but shows us the way.