I’ve got to admit, I was giddy as a schoolgirl at the possibility of reviewing Sucioperro’s latest bombastic blast-fest, confident that Scotland’s most criminally under-exposed noise-makers would surely knock my socks off yet again. And guess what…? They fucking did.
‘Fused’ opens with stormer ‘A River Of Blood’ that both groves and pulverizes in equal measure. The sound here is reminiscent of Miami fuzz-maestros Torche, yet Sucioperro have always had a certain swagger that’s uniquely their own. This has always made them stand out from the crowd, but I can’t be alone in hoping for the same thing with every one of their releases.
That this will be THE ONE, the album that finally propels them from underground heroes to the dizzying heights of the rock hierarchy that such a hardworking act undoubtedly deserves. It’s a shame, then, that amongst the bands oozing confidence, super-polished production and fantastically crafted riffs, lies the feeling that they’re still not quite there yet.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, they clearly love making music and fans (myself included) still stick by them, but this record is another in a long line of Sucioperro efforts that doesn’t quite lift off. Everything is very controlled, the tracks are solid and sure to be crowd pleasers but when the album finishes after a miniscule 29 minutes I’m left with the feeling that there could be more here.
A lot of the songs seem to end too soon and most of the breakdowns and build-ups stop short on really pulling on the heart-strings or whipping the casual head banger into a frenzy of mosh madness. Control is a main factor, and I feel like if they let go just once, stopped being so damn passive-aggressive and just melt our fucking minds, then they could go stratospheric very, very quickly.
Passive-aggressive is the word here and their lyrics have always been that way, filled with dry wit and bizarre imagery, topped with a sarcastic delivery that is so typically Scottish and so brilliantly Sucioperro. It fits the music perfectly and the album is solid and absolutely massive in parts, yet I find myself frustrated sometimes at just how big the band could and should be if they let just a little bit of raw madness into their tracks.
This sounds a lot more negative than I mean it to be, but when you listen to it, I hope you’ll understand. I love this album, and you will too, but it’s so close to being their masterpiece it’s almost sickening. That being said, I can’t wait to see how the new tracks come across live.
Out on September 3rd through Bandcamp.
Posted by Eóin Boylan.
