It’s pretty much these guys or The Used getting most of the buzz these days in the rock
scene. If you’ve happened to turn on the radio to any modern station recently and heard
“Helena,” you probably understand why. These guys are fresh and playing some very
exciting music.
The tunes are punchy and tight while the vocals wail on
about this or that romantic
notion, with a soul or two sold to the devil for good
measure. Part of the theme of the album is the concept of making deals with the devil,
while the rest of the music is more about the personal experiences of the band members.
It is akin to watching a gunfight at high noon. There is something
dangerous hidden beneath the layers of pop melody. It’s not an uprising, like the music
of the nineties hinted at, but rather something individually heroic. The album trades
between the tension before some defiant revolution scene and the scene itself. And the
music seems to
know when it is building up to something and when that something is
being unleashed.
Highlights include the tormenting first release,
“Helena,” the pounding “Thank You for the Venom,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and a
personal favourite as far as titles go, “You Know What They Do to Guys like Us in
Prison.”
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is a very listenable album.
It’s definitely one of those records you throw on the stereo on a Saturday night before
hitting the bars. It gets the blood pumping and makes the promise that just about
anything can happen when you step outside of your comfort zone and into the unknown neon
night.