It’s time to put my money where my mouth is. Not so long ago as part of one of our long, rambling and occasionally poignant conversations, Chris and I, as we so often to, turned the lens to the faults that we perceive among the music editorial community. Namely, we were analyzing the tendency of journalists to forgive all faults of favorite artists, and hand out high grades with what feels to us like specious examination. I referred to it at the time, to turn the euphemism, as ‘playing for the name on the front of the jersey.’
Now, as if I haven’t already to this point, I’m going to commit a cardinal sin of journalism and make the story about me, at least for this next little bit. (This, by the way, is a sin I seem to commit with increasing frequency. Apologies for that.)
Destrage, hailing from Milan, Italy, is one of, if not straight up who I believe to be the best band working today. Their combination of musical prowess and creativity and way-past-the-margins writing is unparalleled in the world of heavy music right now (Turisas could easily have held this title for longer if they’d bothered to make any new music in the last NINE YEARS. I’m not bitter, I promise.)
And so we come to “SO MUCH. too much,” the latest album from the metal inventors. The last two Destrage albums were both my selections for Album of the Year, and the third, “Are You Kidding Me? No.” was a hair’s breadth behind at number 2 (trailing only Red Eleven’s “Round II” by the thinnest of margins, and if you ask me on a given day, I might have them flipped.) So in a year where there’s been a lot of albums I like, but few that I love, I was ready for Destrage to save the year and sweep everyone off the table, on this, their first record since parting ways with Metal Blade and moving to 3DOT Recordings.
And there’s a lot here to like. There’s piles of stuff on “SO MUCH. too much.” that is laudable and praise-worthy.
And yet.
If I’m being honest, this album is not quite up to the part of their previous efforts. Let’s take a walk through the bad stuff first, since I need that as background context for when we launch into the good stuff.
What Destrage has always excelled at, over and above everyone else in the business these days, is that no matter how far into madness the band ventures, and same as ever, there are deep forays into the musical abyss, there’s always been a rope tied around their waist that anchors them to digestible and accessible moments that fans can rally behind. Normally this comes in the form of vaulted, majestic sing-along choruses with simple structures and gigantic hooks that are easy to sink into.
And I think that’s the piece that’s missing here, or more appropriately, the piece that’s missing with the band’s usual consistency. Taking even the first single, “Everything Sucks and I Think I’m a Big Part of It,” wanders into a bunch of scattershot paths, but never circles back to collect the pieces and tie them together before jumping off the next cliff. The otherwise sublime “Venice Has Sunk,” would have been an all-time classic if it had come back to Earth just a little. Frustrating.
And yet, there are still plenty of reasons why this record stands out from the pack and is a worthy entry. First and foremost, let’s highlight “Private Party,” dropped into the center of the album and featuring a guest appearance from confirmed crazy person Devin Townsend. Destrage has at various times in their career (“Not Everything is Said” and “Before, After and All Around” come to mind, as well as “Rage, My Alibi,” if for content and not music,) colored their sound with something five percent akin to the best moment of Alice in Chains, and “Private Party” uses a similar vocal harmony to use that affect, but turned on its experimental metal ear. The song is, in many ways, Destrage’s “Dance Macabre,” the song that fits the idiom and is infectious to listen to, but sits way out on the boundary.
We talked about “Venice Has Sunk” briefly, but let us take a second just to highlight the truly inspired musicianship and songcraft. While the cut lacks the big chorus, the sheer talent of the band shows through in every moment. “An Imposter” was a better KMFDM song than KMFDM wrote on their album this year, and starter “A Commercial Break That Lasts Forever,” reminds us all just how capable of Destrage can be when dropping the hammer. The airy, melodic vocals juxtapose nicely against the violent backdrop to create a sound only Destrage has mastered.
And then, to cap off, we get a cover of the largely forgotten but accomplished Stone Temple Pilots cut “Vasoline,” and if the litmus test of a cover song is if a band can put their own spin on a classic, then Destrage succeeds here with flying colors.
Still, the album feels a little thin. Once you get past “Private Party,” there’s “An Imposter,” which is good but not great, and the aforementioned cover, but the remaining songs on the back half of the record don’t reach or grasp with the customary strength we’ve come to expect from Destrage.
What we’re faced with here is an album that doesn’t quite slake the thirst for new Destrage material for those of us who were anticipating this record, but only because it falls a step below the impossibly high bar the band has set for themselves. Relative to much of what else has come out this year, “SO MUCH. too much.” stands on a platform all its own. But I have to be honest – is this a contender for the list of top albums to come out this year? Sure. But is it going to take home the crown? Nope.
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