Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat the Devil's Tattoo Review

Posted by Lenny Vowels on 03.13.2010

The bad boys (and girl) from the San Fran Bay Area come roaring back.

I first caught wind of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club two years ago. They opened for Stone Temple Pilots at a show in southern Indiana, and I didn't really expect much from them, seeing as how I had never heard of them. It wasn't the first time I've been impressed upon my first time seeing an band unknown-to-me live, but they certainly stood out among the many. Their blend of bluesy folk charm and hard rock riffs and beats was more than enough to keep my interest for the duration of their set. Now only a year after the release of their most recent live DVD, appropriately titled LIVE, they are back from the studio with their newest set of biker blues anthems.



Track Listing

1. Beat the Devil's Tattoo
2. Conscience Killer
3. Bad Blood
4. War Machine
5. Sweet Feeling
6. Evol
7. Mama Taught Me Better
8. River Styx
9. The Toll
10. Aya
11. Shadow's Keeper
12. Long Way Down
13. Half-State

From the opening title track, the band continues to sound just as I had remembered them. They always reminded me of what would happen if Bob Dylan decided one day to play hard rock. The voice and emotion are the same... just a lot grittier in the case of BRMC. There was never a time when the resemblance was more evident to me than it was upon hearing the lyric “Everyone is king when there's no one left to pawn.” Classic and cryptic, and I love it.

“Conscience Killer” follows the opener with quite the change-up: an arena rock anthem following a somber ballad. This one takes it to the max with the badmouth, which I certainly respect for a crowd-pumping number. Not every arena song has to be “Any Way You Want It” after all. Apparently the band felt like leaning towards the “We're Not Gonna Take It” side of the argument. “Bad Blood” feels like the downturn of the previous song, as the singer feels some remorse for actions taken. Perhaps it was for all of the wrong-sayings in the prior piece?

Distorted and twisted, “War Machine” doesn't really assure the listener of what he or she should think of it. This is definitely one of the weaker tracks, as the repetition and black-hole feeling doesn't so much engage one as much as it does make them wonder just what the hell is going on. Honestly, BRMC is one band that I don't think needs to be playing space rock as “War Machine” is akin to. It just doesn't suit them.

At least the Club gets right back to the thick of things with “Sweet Feeling,” another acoustic-sounding song that fits their style so much more, and “Evol” likewise keeps the open-air soothing nature alive. The album finally returns to the band's hard rock familiarity with “Mama Taught Me Better.” The song is a standard headbanger's ball breakdown, but it's a good one nonetheless. “River Styx” has a definite catch-all blues swing to the guitar riff, but instead of sounding like something written for Stevie Ray Vaughn, the song takes a turn for the depressing as it comes off almost like a suicide note.

The four songs that follow bring more of the same awesome that accompanied the rest of the record. “The Toll” adds more acoustic blues, while “Aya” reverts back to shoegazing. “Shadow's Keeper” almost gives the album some nu metal credibility, but “Long Way Down” aims for a different target by adding an awesome piano number. It's different, but also very fitting.

The entire experience seems to come together with the final track, “Half-State.” At just over ten minutes long, the song can definitely be described as epic, especially by BRMC's standards. It also blends together every bit of crunch and genre-bending that we've come to expect from the last 12 songs, and actually comes off as something of a Pink Floyd tribute. I know I mentioned earlier that space rock doesn't really fit the band, but it works a bit better for this one. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because it's stretched out so much more than their other attempts.

The production sounds tight, yet also very grungy. The band has been known for adding a heavy amount of distortion to their sound for quite some time, and Beat the Devil's Tattoo is certainly no different. For the atmosphere that's provided, it sounds really good, but some won't agree. It's not the crispest sounding album anyone will ever hear, but the Club always sounded better with a grungy feel anyway. It all adds up to a great follow-up to their last lyrical album, Baby 81.

The 411: I have the feeling that I may get some flack for my comparison of a band that's only somewhat well-known to one of the greatest songwriters of all time, but I feel that it's much deserved. The Black Rebels know their place in the rock community and they've never been afraid to branch out from their already-tremendous accomplishments. Beat the Devil's Tattoo is no different, and although it isn't their strongest, it's certainly a worthwhile addition to their catalog.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]