Struck By Lightning -
SerpentsReviewed by Andy "Dinger" Beresky (StonerRock.com)
Translation Loss Records
Available Now
When I first heard Struck By Lightning, I predicted that they'd be the next band that "blew up." This Columbus, Ohio four piece have so much working in their favor right now. They're young and energetic, but they've got enough experience already playing in various hardcore bands. They've got that same mixture of labyrinthine dual lead work and bulldozing rhythms that propelled the early careers of bands like Mastodon and Baroness. They've got tour dates with "hip" bands within the scene like Black Cobra and Pelican. But the biggest thing they've got going is the urgency and especially the intensity inherent in the performances on their debut full length.
What I don't want you to take out of this review is that Struck By Lightning are just another band of post-hardcore wannabees trying to cash in on Mastodon's legacy. While early Mastodon and Baroness are certainly legitimate jumping off points for comparison sound-wise - which is why I mentioned them in the first paragraph of the review - Struck By Lightning have their own thing going. Those two bands definitely have hardcore and crust elements to their sound, particularly on their earlier releases, but it's readily obvious that punk and hardcore are where Struck By Lightning draw the bulk of their inspiration. While Mastodon cut their teeth on Metallica and Merciful Fate, these cats most certainly have Integrity, Amebix, and His Hero Is Gone records in their collections. Sure, this is heavy as fuck, and the delivery has the precision of metal, but then we get back to the sticking point for this band: the intensity. These guys don't beat around the bush; they plow right through it. They pick up steam, and then they keep it going for the duration of the song. And they do that for the whole record. You won't hear any distracting ventures into post-rock or atmospheric territories, other than the brief instrumental piano interlude "Collection Of Teeth," which is more of just a breather before the pummeling starts again. Although they certainly can play, they never take the time out to try to dazzle you with their chops, or delve into proggier interludes either. Why bother when you can just go straight for the jugular?
That's not to say that they don't take the time to establish some melody here and there. The twin guitar work provides ample opportunities for twisting lead lines, and the vocals, although raw and screamed, more often than not carry a decent tune. They're certainly a far cry from the monotone barking that often seems to monopolize the "beard metal" genre. To top things off, the chord progressions used are atypically dark and gloomy, even if the rhythms are punishing, which is one of the things that leads me to believe that these guys are Amebix fans.
All and all, while I like this record quite a bit, the real wild card is that I bet these guys crush live. The recordings bring a lot of the sonic intensity and energy that Black Cobra is renowned for, and that can only be better translated by the live show. That's another reason I think these guys are going to take off, because I bet they can blast the doors off of most venues and tear the faces off most of the occupants. If you dig Bison B.C., but wish they embraced their punk roots just a little bit more on record, Struck By Lightning is the band you owe it to yourself to get into, while you can still see them playing smaller venues.
URL: http://www.myspace.com/struckbyfuckinglightning
