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Trouble, The Distortion Field: Sink or Swim

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.

“Glass of Lies” follows “Hunters of Doom” and growls out a Victor Griffin-worthy ’70s-style heavy rock riff while Thomas belts out the chorus, “All I know is how I feel/I can’t quit ya ‘cuz I love ya still/When you look into my eyes/I gaze into the glass of lies,” rounding out with layering reminiscent of Facelift-era Alice in Chains. It’s not the first time ’70s and ’90s vibes collide on The Distortion Field and it works well in the context of Trouble’s overall sound, which has long since refined a blend of heavy rock, metal and doom, touching more on one or the other depending on whose riff it is, Franklin or Wartell. In the case of the ’70s strut of “Glass of Lies,” I’d guess the former. Less clear is “Butterflies,” which handles a rocker ballad-type atmosphere better than did “Have I Told You,” but still pulls back on the musical thrust of “Glass of Lies” and “Hunters of Doom.” One might argue Trouble are aiming at a dynamic feel or sound, but there’s really no corresponding change to the arrangements, structures or tones to go along with that. Still, “Butterflies” is a better song than the first half of the album’s emotional outlet, and it plays well leading to “Sucker,” which I’d count as the last of the highlights on The Distortion Field, put in a similar vein and feel as “Sink or Swim” or even “The Broken Has Spoken,” while ending cuts “Greying Chill of Autumn,” the interlude “Bleeding Alone” and closer “Your Reflection” leave a relatively cold impression, the first going for a moodier sound but sacrificing the hook to get there, and “Bleeding Alone” setting up “Your Reflection” well, but the cowbell-inclusive finale falls somewhat short of the lead-in, ultimately accomplishing nothing that “One Life” hasn’t already done in terms of feel and style. Particularly in the case of a band like Trouble, who are rightly considered a major influence on the scope of traditional doom and who haven’t released an album in six years, one doesn’t want to think of The Distortion Field as being bloated. At the same time, it’s worth noting that it’s the longest Trouble record by at least 12 minutes — the prior longest was Simple Mind Condition at a still-manageable 45 minutes — and that for a classic band going for a classic sound, they’ve forgotten that a key element of what made records like 1984’s Psalm 9, 1985’s The Skull, 1987’s Run to the Light and even their Rick Rubin-produced 1990 self-titled such landmarks was their efficiency.

Now, if Franklin and Wartell — who seem like the most likely driving forces within the band’s decisionmaking at this point, being the longest-running members and principal songwriters — took a look at the glut of songs they came out of the writing sessions with and decided to use it all because who knew when they’d be able to put out another record, one can hardly blame them. Their career is approaching its 35th year, and especially since The Distortion Field itself took four years to materialize, that they’d want to include as much as possible on it seems a fair indulgence for the band to ask of their fans, many of whom will be glad to allow it to them. Ultimately, however, The Distortion Field is a weaker record for it, and where a version of the tracklist that cuts some of the less effective tracks — “Have I Told You,” “Butterflies,” “Greying Chill of Autumn” and “Your Reflection” could go with “One Life” moved into the closer position — reduces the runtime to a vinyl-ready 38 minutes that’s also consistent with the band’s most successful outings, as it stands, some of the best moments here are subject to contrast that takes away from what would otherwise be a consistent level of quality songwriting and a remarkable, still-diverse flow that capitalizes on the two guitarists’ songwriting styles and maximizes the intensity in Thomas‘ delivery by mirroring it with an immediacy in the structure of the album itself. All told, Trouble have made a solid album. After all they went through to make it a reality, and the sheer boldness of creating their first record at all without Wagner — think of it like Judas Priest replacing Rob Halford only you can’t say they did it for money because, well, they probably won’t make that much if any — it’s safe to say The Distortion Field wouldn’t exist at all if Franklin and Wartell didn’t believe in what they were doing. For that alone, it’s worthy of attention. Wherever Trouble‘s drama-filled path leads them, their legacy as one of doom’s most pivotal acts is long since set. If this is what they’re able to bring to their fans at this point so they can keep going and doing what they love, nothing I hear on The Distortion Field — even “Have I Told You” — is enough to make me want to argue.

Trouble, “When the Sky Comes Down”

Trouble’s website

Trouble on Thee Facebooks

FRW Records

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