Burning Brides - 'Hang Love'
(Modern Art, 2007)
Rating: 8

“Summer evil/Summer park/Get ready for the night to get real dark”. You could stop the song after those opening lines from the Burning Brides lead single off of Hang Love, “Waring Street”, and I would pretty much shower this latest Brides album with enough effusive praise to give you the idea that I actually listened to the rest of the record. Having in fact listened to the entire album, though, I will easily assert that their latest effort is a worthy addition to the Burning Brides canon.

As with their previous efforts, 2001’s Fall of the Plastic Empire and 2004’s Leave No Ashes, the Brides have deftly displayed a wide array of influences while building upon their own distinct sound. Led by frontman Dmitri Coats, the Brides have culled inspiration from bands like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Oasis, and Metallica in engineering a blisteringly melodic sonic attack built around Coats’ vocals and ample guitar riffage. The Brides’ rhythm section, featuring bassist Melanie Coats (who recently wed Dmitri) and new drummer Pete Beeman, play well off of one another in moving their frontman’s compositions along without unduly claiming the spotlight. As the bass and drum beats churn along and occasionally give you a good kick in the nether region, there’s no doubt that the Coats with the XY chromosomal makeup is the black heart of the band that keeps the bad blood pumping. With his ability to rip it up on the guitar, the Brides could easily veer into metalhead cartoon territory (they’ve already made an appearance in the Guitar Hero series). What separates them from latter day Beavises, though, is their ability to strike the right balance between their bombastic and melodic impulses. Coats’ voice can provide an almost Beach Boyesque flair for harmonizing with itself while shifting gears and pitch into a guttural Cobainian yowl capable of maximum communication with minimal elucidation. Coupled with his guitar playing, Coats’ vocal intonations really distinguish the Brides from fellow 21st century rock proponents. When Coats sings of “playing dead like a modern reptile”, you can practically hear the sneer he attaches to many of his lines.

Much in the same way Alice in Chains were able to conjure the devil a generation ago without relying upon face paint and promotional parlor tricks, there is something vaguely evil about the Brides and the vibes they put forth. As with all truly killer rock bands, though, they do an excellent job of chasing the arsenic with enough sugar to warrant repeated helpings. In listening to Hang Love, I can identify a multitude of disparate influences, yet I can’t think of a single band that sounds like Burning Brides. Having been truly left to their own devices in producing this record, the band has continued to forge a distinctive sound and aura that make good (or more appropriately bad in this case) on the promise of their earlier efforts.

- Brant Miles