By shelz.

Beat the Devils Tattoo is the 6^th album from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, a band known more for genre confusion and inconsistency than stellar releases. The crew has spent 5 albums trying to recapture the glory and accolade of their debut and have again shifted and shuffled style (and even members) in order to do so, but does it work?  Well, yes and no.

There are peaks and valleys, flashes of brilliance and then songs that seem to drone on forever.  It does appear that the elusive brass ring that accompanied their self-titled debut is still a bit out of reach.  However, what’s done well on this album is done very well.

The title song leads and the lyrics seem to express an acceptance of a loveless life, knowing that the sun is not going to come out tomorrow.  It’s about giving up daydreams, “opening your eyes and letting the demons run.” The lyrics are juxtaposed against a slow foundation that starts with a plodding thump and acoustic guitar but blossoms into haunting, layered vocals and distortion.  It immediately conjures a vision of a bluesy barefoot musician in blue grass land. It’s strong, robust and an effectual opener.

The band then amps up the rock influence as they defy hypocrisy and acknowledge not giving a shit about anything on “Conscience Killer.”  The song is an anthem for assholes everywhere who wear their obnoxiousness on their sleeves.

“Bad Blood” a generally meh track, tackles the resentment that sets in during the tail end of a relationship.  The repetitive chorus is less than enjoyable and the overwhelming distortion is distracting and makes the song hazy. However, the next song redeems them. “War Machine” is again top heavy on distortion as many of these songs are but the aural palette is more open, allowing the fogginess of the guitars to settle in to the songs crevices. The lyrics are cryptic but again express despair. 

As you can see a pattern is beginning to form.  Outside of “Sweet Feeling,” a naked, acoustic pop piece about lost love and “The Toll,” which has an old school country feel to it, most of the songs are heavy handed on the guitar tweaking atmospherics.  There is a dirge like feeling present in many of the selections, a once upon a midnight dreary pondering weak and weary sentiment that gives the album ominous weight.

The thoughtfulness of “Evol” reminds you of the one who got away as the band discusses not feeling love until she’s ready to walk out of the door. “Shadows Keeper” has a magnificently frenetic close for those who prefer their rock loud and abrasive.  However, the extremely noisy and monotonous close, “Half-State” is over 10 minutes long. Sigh.

This isn’t happy camper music.  However, it is perfect for that late night, dark room, woe is me session. The warp of the guitar riffs fills the empty spaces and adds to the murky sound that will envelope you as you wonder where you went wrong, in whatever it is you’re crying about. The vocals seem to linger in the backdrop as more of a whisper or a suggestion which actually might be a good thing considering some of the lyrics.

Beat the Devil’s Tattoo is a decent offering from BRMC if you like them in a tightly constructed frame.  The song assemblage and performance isn’t quite as wild as albums past though and there are sections of the LP where some of the songs sound too much alike and run together.  However, that doesn’t devalue the splendor of their gloominess, nor the fact that they have a better handle on somber than almost anyone else. So whenever you get tired of “Soldier of Love,” pick this up and let the sad times continue to roll.
3.25 out of 5

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