It seemed like it was all just a dream, maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. I was scrolling through my Instagram page and came across this sound that came out of nowhere like a jet engine going at 500 miles per hour. It had a freshness, an attitude, and power. That band is The Damn Truth. A Canadian band from Montreal who has been around since 2011 consists of Lee-La Baum on lead vocals and guitar, Tom Shemer on guitar and vocals, PY Letellier on bass and vocals, and Dave Traina on drums and vocals.
After scrolling through Rosalie Cunningham’s Instagram page, and the mention that they were going to be the co-headliners for her, as she’s promoting her grand slam 2024 third studio album To Shoot Another Day on January 30th next year at Barnsley Birdwell Venue, I knew I had to check this band out. I bought their fourth studio album released this year on Amazon straight away, and I was completely blown away from what I’ve been hearing.
After listening, I had the same similarity on hearing bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in 1997-’98. Plus, a bit of the power-pop influences thrown in between The Raspberries and The Babys thrown in, but adding in the soaring sounds of the new wave of British heavy metal sounds of the Paul Di’Anno-era of Iron Maiden into the blender, you got yourself this awesome power that is waiting for you, landing on your lap by turning up this mo-fo at its maximum. Following it up to their 2021 release Now or Nowhere, their fourth sole self-titled release, and having Metallica alumni producer Bob Rock handling their levels, you know this is going to be a roller-coaster ride waiting to happen.
From the moment ‘I Just Gotta Let You Know’ hits in with its hard rockin’ riffs nod to the Temptations ‘Get Ready’ soaring into this ‘70s arena rock approach, Baum is pouring her heart and soul to spread her wings and fly across the Canadian landscape. She and the band have come a long way to push those buttons and kick it high gear as Shemer and Letellier share this incredible duo between their instruments.
Think of the doubling sounds of Steve Harris and Adrian Smith, K.K. Downing and Ian Hill, Michael Schenker and Pete Way, and of course Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. The Damn Truth are that (no pun intended) damn good. The melodic turned survival drive into the unknown on ‘If I Don’t Make It Home’ has this Guns N Roses approach as Lee rides on her motorcycle, fighting back tears whilst Shemer’s lead section comes in to let her know that everything will be alright until the end.
Then, its off into the country with its Boston-like sound mixed in with Bob Seger’s heartland approach throughout ‘Better This Way’. You have this incredible gospel-like backing vocals giving Lee the love and appreciation she truly needs before the guitars climb more and more to reach the mountains and seeing the sun coming up at the right exact moment to start a brand-new day.
Watching the visualising video of ‘The Willow’, it bears some nearly striking resemblance of Black Mountain’s 2008 masterpiece In The Future as The Damn Truth goes into the psychedelic-progressive approach, combining the acoustic textures, meditated guidance, harder explosives that brings to mind the Physical Graffiti-era from Zeppelin, mellotrons galore, how can you not love this track?
And with ‘Killer Whale’, I know they are going to be compared to Zeppelin so much, there’s some truth to that. But I don’t want to make it a cop-out, but Lee sings in the styles of Janis Joplin with some Canadian-Texas vibrations to pour the soulful blues with a sing-along beer drinking momentum to keep you rooting more and more for them to continue and just imagine ZZ Top being in awe of them, asking them to be the opening act during a worldwide tour in a parallel universe.
The third album adds in aggression, attitude, and brings the pure rock alliance to its true core. So, once you get to see them next year opening for Rosalie, just be prepared to understand how fucking good they really are. I have to give Rosalie Cunningham credit for getting me into other bands alongside The Damn Truth including one of my favourites, Novelty Island during the pandemic when the world was in its lockdown momentum from COVID five years ago.
But if you love some heaviness, killer riffs, and high-power vocalisations, check out The Damn Truth. You won’t be disappointed. They’re showing other bands and artists in the words of HUNTR/X from the movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, how it’s done, done, done!
