i'm lying bed with my power book on my lap listening to a band known as God Damn Trio. since it was me who had originally found them for the steamroller a few months back, i was quite happy to write about them for my first steamroller review. they hail from stockholm sweden. sweden? hey wasn't abba from there? having lived in canada my whole life and having never been to europe, the only thing i know about sweden is that they produce great hockey players, and that chef from the muppets was pretty funny.
anyway back to the "g.d.t." i've just started the 4 songs on their myspace page for the second time, and first time through had some ups and some downs, but mostly ups. we'll start with them. these guys can rock when they want to, no doubt about that. great guitar riffs, awesome production, and solid playing. the song "intoxicated" was definitely my favorite. the tempo change after the chorus shows the maturity in the song writing, along with a very progressive bridge featuring a great groove change, followed by a trip through a claustrophobic, or maybe even paranoid departure, only to lead us back to the final chorus. almost a bit.... dare i say it.....zeppelin? either way, i liked it. they took a pretty solid rock song, and pushed it ahead of the pack.
my next favorite had to be the part punk, part fuzz rock, part ska, pop rock song "said and done". really catchy, but perhaps too many drastic changes. i do like the diversity in the style changes, but just when i find myself really getting into a part, like the intro, it's followed up by this almost tongue and cheek sounding poppy verse. then it busts into a catchy chorus, and then another very interesting bridge. i think it's just the verse i don't care for because the more i listen to it, the more i like it, but i just keep wanting the verse to end.
"all to me" has great potential. it's the type of song that would probably just rock if you were to see it live, but i think something got lost in the studio translation. again, great playing, catchy hooks, but this time it's vocals. the singing is lacking some identity. the more melodic parts seem a bit unstable, and the kicked up choruses aren't all that big. i keep wanting those choruses to just explode vocally and they kind of disappoint.
my least favorite tune had to be "weak life situation". this is the attempt at a pop rock, radio friendly song. again i really like the music, but the melodic vocals in the verses just aren't working for me. the chorus is good, the bridge is solid, i'm just not digging the vocals. it just seems like the chilled out parts are too chilled and shaky sounding, and the harder parts are just not rockin' enough.
over all, i believe the "god damn trio" has a lot of talent, and i plan on listening to "intoxicated" a few more times before i sleep tonight just to ensure i have good rockin' dreams. extra props to the drumming on that one too, nice and solid. i listen to the vocals on that one, and wonder why he didn't sing with that same passion in his voice on the other tracks. i read on their site that they're writing for a new record right now. with the potential this band has, i wouldn't be surprised if these guys find themselves leaving stockholm soon to come tour my corner of the globe. hey guys, guest list maybe? come on, i'll bring some canadian beer? i want to hear more from the "god damn trio" and i would certainly recommend checking them out.
God Damn Trio
"saved by the bell - rock rating"
a.c. slater
huh? what the hell does that mean?
jds308
