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Bearhead is what happens when you take the remains of a band like Alice in Chains and reanimate the corpse with pieces of Deftones, Helmet, and old school (read: good) Metallica. And what surprises me most about listening to them is that I have to strain to hear the influences. They stand on their own that well. I could ramble on about how the drums stand as the backbone for the groove-laden songs like Feed Your Army (there are some very, very metal surprises in that one). I could tell you all about how the bass seems to fit right between the clean and/or distorted sounds of the guitar in tracks like The God Breeze or how it seems to carry the weight of the entire song Carry On. And I could tell you how the singer never, ever tries to overshadow the rest of the band but rather harmonizes with them as though his voice itself were an instrument. But you’ll get all these impressions upon listening to their self-titled album. And you might find even more than you were looking for.
To summarize, Bearhead might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but one sip and you’ll discover that they’re as strong as espresso. They’re certainly not trying to be anything they’re not. And that’s a clichéd line to say when reviewing a band. It’s sort of like saying that “even if you don’t like it, you can’t deny the talent.” And that’s exactly what I’m saying. Not only that, but I’d go so far as to say that it’s a trait that cannot be utilized proficiently by too many bands. Because of the formula, as it were, punching you in the face with some good, old fashioned rock and roll is as effective if Bruce Lee joined The Dillinger Escape Plan and just kicked random people in the face instead of playing an instrument. It’s as though they all got together and said to each other “we could all go all crazy, all the time. But where would that get us?” You’d get bored quick. I’ve run the gamut of albums that have blown me away upon first listen, and then gotten old real quick because it just turned into an indecipherable blur. The songs on this album are distinct, listenable, as classic as classic rock, and that’s exactly what Bearhead seem to want. And, in short, it’s good. Really good.
Try ‘em if you like the heyday of alternative, strong groove-metal, and just good rock.
Reviews by Paul. If you would like to have your album featured, email paul@bhamrocks.com
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