ARTIST:The Distillers
ALBUM:"Coral Fang"
RELEASED:Oct. 14
LABEL:Warner Bros.
The Distillers' new album, "Coral Fang", pierces the side and sinks in its fangs. The band's third album displays female lead singer and guitarist Brody Dalle's (formerly Brody Armstrong) success at mixing guttural screams with deep, melodic, angst-filled vocalizations.
Despite an ever-changing cast of band members, Dalle seems to have found a solid band to compliment her Courtney Love-esque vocals and powerful, tuneful riffs.
Drummer Andy Granelli demonstrates his skill at beating the hell out of the skins on most tracks, but most impressively shows his sense of restraint and rhythm on track 4, "The Gallow is God." Granelli holds back when most punk drummers would bar no holds.
Through all the screaming of this album, through the grim demeanors of band members, even through the bloody razor blade-filled artwork, there is a softer side to this band and album. "I've come to realize you're the only thing I want/I'm falling all the way in/I've fallen all the way in," a lyric from "Love is Paranoid," shows that even Dalle is capable of a little sappiness.
The Distillers buck the punk tradition in a couple of ways on this album. A few tracks run over four minutes, and the finale clocks in at a solid twelve minutes, straying from the traditional two-minute punk blitzkrieg.
In addition to longer songs, "The Hunger" seems to come out of nowhere, as if it were accidentally dropped into the middle of the album. "The Hunger" verges on an acoustic intro, and for the first minute, only Dalle's voice and guitar can be heard, making the tune feel very "unpunk."
High points of the album come with the title track, "Coral Fang" and opener, "Drain the Blood."
The Distillers' willingness to flip off the stereotype of punk rockers creates an album that administers a bite
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
