Eclipse Records
Release date: March, 17 2023
Words by Greg Walker
Never judge an album by its cover. Or do, like I did in the case of Carbellion‘s Weapons Of Choice.
A homage to the revered journalistic institution that is America’s Hot Rod Magazine, the album cover depicts exactly what to expect of the contents: a one of a kind high octane ride, custom-built to deliver an unpolished and unrefined trip to the redline and back. It’s not pretty, but that’s the point.
Rock, hard rock, metal, whatever you call it, Carbellion meld a host of heavy music’s spare parts to create something quite unique that stands out from the crowd. All you need as an introduction before strapping in is the band’s name: a soundtrack to a life of fast cars and rebellion.
The album cover states 3-2-1 launch! Metal music mode and opener and second single Barfight definitely launches; it is an apt single choice to represent the album’s contents. A punk edge drives this rocker which was literally designed to illustrate its title. It would be right at home blaring from the jukebox of a backroads dive bar during a dust-up at closing time, dust clouding off the guitars as the band absolutely shakes the room, the smell of stale beer in the dank carpet and burnt rubber up your nose. The vocals on Barfight in particular showcase a few different stylings blended in seamlessly, but throughout the album the singing is excellent and fits right in over the top of the gravelly delivery of the music.
First single Listen To Ghosts is delivered with a gritty clarity that’s more than a hint of Layne Staley in the vibrato, and especially on the end of each verse line in Origin. Take notice and there’s more technique in there than one would initially hear at a glancing sample.
Latest single Pity The Backseat utilises the rock attitude to delicious effect, and actually reminds me of late 80s Mötley Crüe, a guitar-driven brashness with a bluesy groove thrown in for good measure. The aforementioned Origin is a perfect example, that big rock sound oozing through the Clutch-like weighty verses and harmonised chorus. Speaking of groove, Spaces is built around a driving big riff with a tidy clean riff/lead meandering around the melody line, it’s a headbanger that wouldn’t be out of place on a 1990s grunge band’s opus. Spaces was instantly a personal favourite that made it straight into my playlists.
Each track is built on a solid foundation of a well-established genre, however, they all have their own identity, title track Weapons Of Choice being a perfect example, involving the groove, the swagger, the slower purposeful drive, and the mid-tempo arrogance of the other tracks combined.
There is a distinct change of pace with the following track Preacher which opens with an almost forlorn cleaner guitar melody snaking around the main riff, reminiscent of Wednesday 13’s approach and rather tasty. A big crunch verse riff breaks up the more commercial approach of this song’s main appeal, as does the lead break taking us out the end of the song.
As I’m making notes for this review I find myself writing mid-tempo rocker, driving riff over and over. Jungle Song is a slow burn starter, a sleeper catching you unawares a third of the way through when a beautifully heavy rock section kicks in, led by one of these driving riffs. This moment is accentuated with and finished by a cleaner lead, then calms back down like a rattlesnake satisfied yet still tense. An excellent use of tension, this is another personal favourite.
Seasons Of Failure states There is always another next time and I certainly hope so because these guys have grabbed my attention in the 45-minute runtime, and I can’t wait to check out more of their back catalogue based on the strength of this platter.
The live in the studio closer Stalemate starts chaotically like it could come off the rails at any point, but the boys wrest control and take us out with a glimpse of what a Carbellion live show must be like. Somebody bring these guys out to Australia, post-haste!
Customised metal tones, dirty and dangerous heavy rock moments prick the ears with milliseconds of Appetite-era Gn’R, classic Alice In Chains, Mötley Crüe when they ruled the world, The Damned Things, Gunfire 76. Carbellion may have grown up on all of these and more, but definitely have their own dirty rock thing going on. They’re not breaking new ground, but they’ve got all the right bits in all the right places, ready to blast us across the desert flats leaving a trail of scorched salt, their competition in a turmoil of dust.
Four on the floor rock metal. There is much to like.
