It’s been a long time coming, but finally after a near decade long wait we have been blessed with a new album from The Damned Things. For those out of the loop The Damned Things are a group comprising of members of Fall Out Boy, Every Time I Die, Anthrax and Alkaline Trio which I know frankly sounds mental on paper, but believe me when I say it works incredibly well.
The Damned Things are a surprisingly cohesive band with a very straightforward sound that is very much it’s own thing rather than the sum of its parts. With that said if you were to hear any part of the members other projects in here it would be Every Time I Die, but I think that is purely down to Keith Buckley having a very unique delivery and being the frontman of both bands.
High Crimes is a very exciting record full of energy and swagger. It has big swinging balls and has no problem flaunting them. Big thick riffs and bombastic drums mesh perfectly with Buckley’s frenetic and breathless vocals imbuing each song with a sense of urgency that gives the songs a pace that makes it impossible not to bang your head to.
I think the most sensational thing about High Crimes that really leaps out from the speakers is the creativity and chemistry on display. For a band that hasn’t made an album in nearly 10 years and isn’t each members main gig, it’s astounding and speaks volumes to them as musicians and the bond they share that this is what they can crank out after such an absence.
High Crimes is an album that has been a long time coming and I’m sure there was a time when many people thought it would never see the light of day, yet here it is and it has already become one of the most exciting and fresh sounding rock records of the year.
