Sick Puppies - Tri-Polar Review

Posted by Alistair McGeorge on 07.14.2009

They’ve just had single “You’re Going Down” used as the WWE Extreme Rules theme, gaining them a bit of mainstream attention. However, does Sick Puppies’ second major-label album do much to give them a real chance at the mainstream? Click to find out.

Having not heard anything before, I went into Sick Puppies’ newest release unsure what to expect. On one hand, the first single off Tri-Polar was selected to be the WWE Extreme Rules official song, and “Street Fighter (War)” has been used in advertisements for the forth incarnation of the Capcom game. On the other, they’re still a largely unproven commodity. That said, I obviously went into this with an open mind. Was I impressed? Read on...



1. Street Fighter (War) - 3:13
2. I Hate You - 3:28
3. Riptide - 3:11
4. You're Going Down - 3:07
5. Odd One - 3:47
6. So What I Lied - 3:27
7. Survive - 3:12
8. Should've Known Better - 3:52
9. Maybe - 3:29
10. Don't Walk Away - 3:48
11. Master of the Universe - 3:33
12. In it for Life - 4:05
13. White Balloons - 3:39

Sick Puppies- Tri-Polar

While the two songs I mentioned earlier have got considerable airplay promoting their respective “products”, hearing them in full as part of the album, they come across as very…well, generic. From the opening shout of “Let’s do this!” to the droning vocals, it’s just unimaginative and seems uninspired. Whereas some bands can be similar to other acts and still pull it off, I wouldn’t say Sick Puppies are that kind of band.

I enjoyed “You’re Going Down” as part of the promo spots for WWE Extreme Rules, but on the album it fell flat, to me at least. At this point I want to say, half of this album is great…at times it seems like two different bands. Tracks like “You’re Going Down”, the opener and “I Hate You” are clichéd “metal” in the vein of Papa Roach, but not done as well.

It actually annoys me when tracks like “Survive” appear, because Sick Puppies can do so much better, and do so on the same album! It’s frustrating when the three of the first four tracks seem so generic, but then there’s a gem like “Riptide” placed in the middle of it all. It starts with a nice little bass line, going into a fun pop-punk verse and finally erupting into a ballad-driven, sing-a-long chorus that gives me real hope for the band. This isn't the best quality video (a live recording), but have a listen:



In the same way, “Odd One” is a welcome break from the constant screaming from a band that can’t seem to make up their mind regarding whether they want to be nu-metal or just a plain rock band. Honestly, they’d be more original if they stopped trying so hard to appear different. “Odd One” opens with 50 seconds with just an acoustic guitar, before building up to another powerful chorus.

It’s at moments like that, that I really want to be able to love this album- by no means are Sick Puppies a bad band, but they seem to be very…well, bi-polar (no pun intended). This couldn’t be more apparent than in “So What I Lied”, which starts off very well, Shimon Moore showing off his great voice. Then, we go back to trying to be a bit heavier, the vocals become boring and the song becomes one of two halves, like Tri-Polar itself.

“Should’ve Known Better” is a decent track, but seems to be lacking a little something to make it a great one. The chorus is catchy and would be a fun live moment, however, and it opens with a heavy, gritty bass-line that soon gives way to…a boring verse about sex. That’s another qualm I have with the album…the lyrics are just as inconsistent. Even in this one track, we go from generic lines about drinking and sex to a more moving line “Tell me when it’s over, wake me when I’m sober/the scar’s too hard to hide/I should’ve known better”.

This is the case for the album as a whole, and it’s interesting that the better tracks don’t rely on trying to be metal, and generic lyrics about sex, booze and violence. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy some songs like that, and some bands do it very well and it fits. However, when Sick Puppies show that they can be so much more, I find it hard to enjoy the album as a whole.

“Maybe” is another stand-out song for the right reasons; simple, melodic verses and a powerful, fist-pumping chorus with emotional lyrics: “Maybe it’s time to chance and leave it all behind/I’ve never been one to walk alone/I’ve always been scared to try”. Comparing this to “You’re Going Down”: “I wouldn’t put my money on the other guy/if you know what I know that I now”…well, there isn’t really any comparison, in my opinion at least.

Tri-Polar closes on a fantastic note, however, with “White Balloons”. Emma Anzai shows she’s not just a great, solid bassist, but has a beautiful voice, and it makes me wonder why it was left until the last song to show us this. It combines brilliantly with Moore’s slightly rougher vocals, and makes a beautiful ballad, ending the album on a high. When you compare this to the first track of the album, it’s ridiculous how much better Sick Puppies seem with songs like this.

The 411: I want to love this band so much, but with an album this inconsistent it’s not easy. The saving grace from the heavier tracks is Anzai’s great, dark bass-lines, but even that can’t make them anything more than just “there”. When Sick Puppies stop trying to be heavy and original, the real gems on the album shine through. For me, rather than completely saving the album they just made me annoyed at what a full album like that could’ve become. Hopefully their next release is more consistent, because I can’t see Tri-Polar as a whole making or breaking them either way. Not a terrible release, but certainly nothing groundbreaking.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]