Review Summary: Overtly straight-forward, but still very much passionate
It’s always interesting to think that
Local H started well over 25 years ago. After seven albums, two drummers, and a countless amount of jams, you would think the band would of ended by now. Hell, most bands don’t even stay together for that long, or at least not without a major hiatus or break up of one form or another. However, if their one thing their eighth full-length effort
Hey, Killer proves is that the duo are still as strong as ever, providing some incredibly addictive hooks and some of the band’s most memorable material.
Something I would need to get out the way first is the inclusion of the band’s newly-recruited drummer Ryan Harding. Now if there’s one thing about Local H that even should know by now is that they always have great drummers, and Harding is no exception. As shown on tracks such as “The Last Picture Show In Zion”, Harding can pound his drums with enough structure to support a two story building. If I had to describe his drumming on this record in one word, it would be “steady”. He definitely doesn’t try to go all out like previous drummers Brian St. Clair or Joe Daniels, but he certainly never sounds tired in any tracks. In “City Of Knives”, he even squeezes in a few machine gun-esque drum attacks every once in a while.
Frontman Scott Lucas has described this album as perhaps their catchiest record yet, and I agree. “Gig Bag Road” includes a choppy guitar riff that takes a bit to click, but once it does, it will stay in your head for days. “The Misanthrope” is yet another classic jam by the band, including a hazy introductory riff that simply explodes into an aural assault, set with throbbing drums and the band’s trademark bitterful lyrics.
“The church and then the steeple/ Bring out the weak and feeble” are some lines that will be permanently emboss onto the inside of your skull. Every Local H record includes at least one optimistic track, and for
Hey, Killer, it’s “One Of Us”. Uplifting strings, tight drumming, and surprisingly welcoming lyrics are not foreign for this track.
Although this record contains high quality tracks, it’s definitely one of the band’s “safest” releases. When it comes to pretty much all of the band’s albums, there’s always some sort of experimentation and surprises to be found in them, such as the use of horn sections and folk influences from
Hallelujah! I’m A Bum. Essentially,
Hey, Killer is simply composed of the catchy, listener-friendly tracks, which leaves a little to be desired. Although, it does include one of the best tracks from the band’s career: “John The Baptist Blues”.
Nothing quite gets your blood moving quicker than hearing a grimy, poisonous riff layered with the groan of
“Heads will roll”. “John The Baptist Blues” is perhaps one of the band’s heaviest tracks, the riffs are essentially the musical equivalent to getting punched in the face, and just when you think the song is over, the band quickly brings it back with a sleek, yet murky droning guitar riff that quickly blows up, eventually leading into the epic, end-of-the-world frantic chorus that reminds you that Local H still got what it takes to be a great band.
While
Hey, Killer is perhaps the band’s most “basic” release, but it still contains many quality tracks to keep fans satisfied. Ryan Harding proves himself to be a very worthy drummer, and Scott Lucas still shows his talent at making songs that are equally poppy and heavy. To put it short, this record shows that these guys can still sound just as fresh as they were back when they first started.
