Superchief - Corporate Dynamite

Superchief, Corporate Dynamite(2011).

(self-released)

After reviewing music for a number of years, you get to see bands evolve, although this is often with mixed results.  Superchief only received a pass mark last time they were reviewed here with their album, “Rock Music”.  I wasn’t able to put my finger on exactly why that album didn’t click with me.

Superchief are back again with another outing and the Clutch influence is still very present although the funk influence isn’t as strong with Superchief.  The sheer length of  “Fear No Shield” is of Metallica proportions and there is a smidgeon of that band’s nineties sound although the Clutch is stronger.  “Shovel in the Basement” is made of the very same material that my local commercial rock stations fall over themselves to play as it’s heavy, catchy and features a few guitar solos with a voice that sounds like an angry and husky Eddie Vedder.   The title song, “Corporate Dynamite” starts with a spoken intro then goes into a groove similar to Rob Zombie’s “Living Dead Girl” and has features gob full of grape of vocals that are somewhere between Zombie and Keith Caputo on Life of Agony’s debut. A Zeppelin meets modern stoner rock feel runs through “They Call Me Nomad”  The song is heavy, sounds modern yet has the hallmarks of classic rock. “The Story of the King Killer” lives up to the promise of its title as the song kills with a crunching heaviness.  If this song doesn’t get your head nodding, it’s time for a pulse check.  “The Plan” builds quickly and then falls into a relaxed laidbackness near its finality.  I liked “Saint Bukowski” before I even heard it simply because of the song title’s literary reference, which reminds me I need to watch “Barfly” again.  “Destiny’s Child” sways between quiet to hard and angry but is easily the weakest track on the album.


Superchief are still establishing their indentity but “Corporate Dynamite” is definitely a huge step forward for Superchief so look left and right for explosions.   This album gets more than just a pass mark.

3.5/5





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