The Explosion is one of those ‘The Next Big Thing’ branded bands – and the thing about these bands is that sometimes it happens for them, and sometimes it doesn’t. However, in most of the cases where it just doesn’t happen, the band isn’t particularly great – this can’t really be said of The Explosion. With ‘Black Tape,’ The Explosion has produced an album that although not entirely original, is full of substance, energy and excitement. There are many great tracks on display on this album that make The Explosion stand out from the pack and seem like a shining star in a sky of monotonous generic bands.
This album kicks off with ‘Deliver Us’ which in some respects is a bit of a bad move because I’d say that this is probably one of the weaker tracks on the album. There is some heavy distortion on the guitars, and it doesn’t really do the bands sound any justice because on this track they sound like they could well be one of those monotonous and generic bands. It’s not a bad tune; its just not particularly exciting and first time listeners to this band may be put off by its blandness. However, after this initial disappointment the band provide many a fine tune and jump straight into the amazingly catchy ‘Filthy Insane.’ This track will have you randomly singing ‘This is filthy, this is *****ing insane’ for weeks – it really is a catchy little number that you won’t be forgetting in a hurry. This tune alone shows that the band is more than just another average Punk band – they really are something special, and ‘Filthy Insane’ is a testament to this.
The third track on this album is the ultimately catchy lead single from the album ‘Here I Am.’ I really cant see how anyone could possible dislike this track – its one of the finest pop tracks I have heard for years. Most of The Explosion’s album is nothing like this track, but it is an awesome introduction to get people hooked on the band before introducing them to the real, heavier them that I have come to know and love. This track has a really clean, radio friendly feel to it – yet when the band perform it live, even this highly poppy track comes across as raw and rocking. The album continues with the blinding ‘I Know’ – another track with a chorus that you won’t be forgetting for quite some time. This track has some truly awesome guitars, amazing drum beats, seriously sensational bass lines, and the inevitable awesome vocals that after the first three tracks you’ve come to expect from the band.
There are no real downsides to this album – practically every one of these tracks could quite easily be released as a single and do well if it was given the appropriate backing. It is on tracks like ‘No Revolution’ where the band really shows off their awesome Punk Rock credibility. It comes nine tracks in and could quite easily become a classic in a few years. The Explosion has me hooked much like Bad Religion did the first time I ever listened to them. Listening to Bad Religion for the first time filled me with such excitement and filled me with exhilaration and The Explosion work on me in quite the same way. Considering I’d say that Bad Religion are probably one of my favourite bands of all time, this is no minor feat so The Explosion have definitely done something right in their major label debut ‘Black Tape.’
Not many albums fill me with excitement in quite the same way as this effort from The Explosion has. It is very rarely that I will find an entire album that I can really enjoy as a whole without feeling the need to skip at least one or two tracks, but The Explosion really have succeeded in producing an album that is vital to listen to as a whole rather than as individual tracks. It is a shame then that in the MP3 revolution it will probably emerge that many people just have a track or two from this CD on their MP3 player and listen to tracks at random as these people will be missing out on the album in its full glory and as a result will not experience the true excellence of this fine collection of songs that is The Explosion’s ‘Black Tape.’
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UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
