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Trouble, The Distortion Field: Sink or Swim

Posted in Reviews on July 24th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

It has been a turbulent decade-plus for Chicago doomers Trouble. Their lineup came apart following the release of 1995’s Plastic Green Head, ending a run that established a loyal fanbase and cemented their legacy in doom and heavy rock as one of the most powerful two-guitar acts ever to wield a riff. A 2002 live reunion started rumors swirling about a new album, and in 2005, a series of show recordings and compilations began to surface, culling together old bootleg-style releases and demos in self-released, for-fans style. Label drama surrounded the release of 2007’s seventh album, Simple Mind Condition, which added to apparently already-present tensions in the band, and though the record was able to update the spirit of Trouble‘s earlier works without sounding either clownish or like it was trying to recapture something that wasn’t there anymore, the group languished, the album went unappreciated by most save for the most cultish of Trouble followers — they’re out there — and eventually, founding frontman Eric Wagner split (again; having left the first time in ’95 to front the psychedelic rock project Lid). Trouble replaced him with Kory Clarke of Warrior Soul and pressed on, but the magic that characterized the band at their best was long gone, guitarists Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin left as the only remaining founding members, drummer Jeff “Oly” Olson also having resigned in 2008 and a series of bassists having followed in the wake of Ron Holzner leaving in 2002, including Chuck Robinson and Shane Pasqualla — all the while a growing league of bands coming up as side-projects and ex-members reasserted themselves; see Retro Grave, Earthen Grave, This Tortured Soul, BlackfingerWet Animal. It’s telling that even as they release their eighth album and first studio outing in six years, The Distortion Field, through Austrian label FRW Records, Trouble lists no permanent bassist in its lineup, otherwise comprised of Wartell, Franklin, vocalist Kyle Thomas and drummer Mark Lira, as if to indicate that the drama that’s surrounded them for the last 18 years isn’t quite over yet. Even The Distortion Field itself began its life in 2009, initially announced as The Dark Riff but subject to a fortunate title change at some point along the way, so one imagines that with a four-year holdup and the personnel shifts that have played out as well, Trouble are at very least living up to their name.

The most glaring issue with The Distortion Field and a hurdle I suspect many listeners simply won’t be able to overcome is the lack of Wagner‘s ultra-distinct vocals in these songs. To Thomas‘ credit, he is a proven, powerful, accomplished and technically precise metal singer, and on cuts like “Sucker,” “Hunters of Doom,” “The Broken Has Spoken” and “Paranoia Conspiracy,” the former Exhorder and Floodgate frontman (who also stepped in to lead the charge on Alabama Thunderpussy‘s metallized 2007 swansong, Open Fire) gives as vigilant a performance as one could ask. Lyrics here and there lack perspective, and how the ballad “Have I Told You” made it onto the album, I’ll never know, but if The Distortion Field sinks, it’s not because of Thomas‘ singing. At 57:50 and 13 tracks deep, Trouble‘s return hones directly in on the band’s trad metal lurch with the searing beginning leads giving way to chugging riffs of “When the Sky Comes Down.” Thomas is distinct on one of The Distortion Field‘s best choruses, and his time fronting the band live between 1997 and 2000 seems to have paid off in how naturally he fits himself in with Franklin and Wartell‘s tones. Sure enough, the album’s highlight material — most of it, anyhow — is up front, “Paranoia Conspiracy” adding some grit to the momentum and “The Broken Has Spoken” rounding out a strong opening trio with a gang-shout chorus and classic riff that acts as a prelude to the ’70s swagger later to come on “Glass of Lies.” Structures are traditional verse/chorus exclusively, and though by the end of the Dio Sabbath-ian “Sink or Swim,” the crux of what works best about The Distortion Field is set, there’s still a long, long way to go, “One Life” working to “bring it down” en route to “Have I Told You,” which is a dip in heaviness and with rock-dudes-can-feel-feelings-too-you-know lyrics that, while sweet, are so within the stereotypical power ballad sphere despite being underproduced that I’ve come just to skip it — something I almost never do — and move on to “Hunters of Doom,” a lyric no less generic but one of the album’s heaviest riffs. Immediate motoring chug, headbanging groove, bluesy solos and a raging finish, it’s a fitting centerpiece and manages to recover some of the momentum that “Have I Told You” so willingly relinquishes seemingly for the sake of formality.

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Trouble to Release The Distortion Field on July 16

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 16th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Hey, doom works slow. It’s been more than four years since Chicago doom legends Trouble first started tossing around word of their first album in the post-Eric Wagner era. Back then, the record was called The Dark Riff and Trouble was fronted by former Warrior Soul vocalist Kory Clarke. Neither of those panned out, it seems, and founding guitarists Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell have (re)joined forces with singer Kyle Thomas, who previously worked with the band between 1997 and 2000, to release The Distortion Field through FRW Records on July 16, 2013.

Another full-length of Trouble riffs is nothing to complain about, and anyone who heard Alabama Thunderpussy‘s 2007 swan song, Open Fire, let alone Exhorder or Floodgate, knows Thomas is no slouch vocally. It’s hard to imagine Trouble without Wagner‘s Beatles-loving melodies up front (and I saw them with Clarke), but one hopes that in the years since Trouble‘s last record, Simple Mind Condition (originally out in 2007, then again I think in 2009 or 2010; it was complicated), Franklin and Wartell have used some of that time to meld their approach with that of their new lineup.

That’d be the ideal, anyway. We’ll find out soon enough. Here’s the info off the PR wire:

Chicago Metal Legends TROUBLE Return!

New Album The Distortion Field out via FRW Records
July 16th in North America | July 26th in Europe

Chicago metal legends TROUBLE return with their first album since ‘Simple Mind Condition’, released in 2007. The album entitled ‘The Distortion Field’ features 13 tracks and will be released by FRW Records in North America on July 16th 2013 and in Europe on July 26th, 2013.

‘The Distortion Field’ makes history in the TROUBLE camp through the band’s acquisition of a new lead vocalist, Kyle Thomas of Exhorder and Floodgate fame.

Commenting on new vocalist Thomas, TROUBLE founder and guitarist Rick Wartell says, “Kyle is one of the most impressive singers I’ve ever heard, and by far the most extraordinary singer I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. He’s got incredible range, incredible power, and an incredible knowledge of TROUBLE, as he’s been a fan for 20-something years. We’ve known him forever, and he innately understands what TROUBLE is about. He’s like the perfect guy to come in and do this job. It’s awesome.”

Veteran Music Producer Bill Metoyer is once again lending his expertise, having previously worked with the band on ‘The Skull’ and ‘Trouble’, both Metal Blade releases.

“Musically, I think this album is a true TROUBLE record.”, states Wartell. “In the early days, we used to just write what we felt and didn’t really care about what anyone said. We just wrote heavy riffs and played our music our way. But outside influences can kind of get a hold of you and start telling you what to do. When we were writing this album, the thinking was, we don’t care what anybody thinks. We’re going to write what we write. So this is basically a return to our roots, while combining some reflections of our band’s long history as well. With the two different music writers, Bruce and myself, we have a slight variation in our writing; Bruce has more of a ’70s groove to his writing, and I’m more the old school doomy metal thing. And when you put it together, you get TROUBLE.”

The band consists of Kyle Thomas – vocals, Rick Wartell – guitar, Bruce Franklin – guitars, and Mark “Marko” Lira – drums.

More details including song titles and album artwork are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

The band has planned a string of festival dates and will tour the album in both Europe and North America.

Visit the band’s website www.newtrouble.com for updates.

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