MONSTER TRUCK – Sittin’ Heavy (2016)

Canadian hard rockers MONSTER TRUCK will release the follow-up to their 2013 Juno Award nominated debut on February 19, the properly titled “Sittin’ Heavy“.
The new album follows the fuzzy, oomphy rock ‘n roll lead of the first album, but while it did not impress us too much, “Sittin’ Heavy” shows a mature band now, stronger in the songwriting and album playability.

Monster Truck has hit the road hard over the last couple of years, touring with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Slash and ZZ Top to name but a few and have used their touring experiences to develop and refine their sound. The title of the new album is “Sittin’ Heavy” and aren’t they just?
The opening tracks include the ferocious ‘Why Are You Not Rocking?’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me How To Live’, which sets the tone for the rest of the album.

‘Why Are You Not Rocking?’ wastes no time in getting straight down to what we came for. Rapid distorted guitar, aggressive drum beats and epic lyrics which spell out exactly why most of us fell in love with Rock music in the first place:
“I don’t care about the weather, the band is here to play, I don’t care about tomorrow, we’re not going any way, all I see is right now, people together… Rock ‘n’ Roll might save your life, might save your life tonight”

These lines couldn’t be any more fitting to the next track, ‘Don’t Tell Me How To Live’. What makes this song so awesome is the extreme dominance of the key statement. ‘Don’t tell me how to live’ is a remark I’m sure everyone can relate to in some form or another, and is sung with such forcefulness and potency. This is met by a powerful, lasting and memorable riff that makes you feel like taking down anyone that tries to get in your way of achieving what ever it is that you want.

‘For The People’ has a proud groove upstanding sound I’ve never heard from Monster Truck before. It’s a great song of unity, which is emboldened by the vocal harmonies and intricate bluesy hard riffs.
A few of the tracks have a retro feel as evidenced by the classic organ licks such as ‘She’s a Witch’, the atmospheric opening to ‘Black Forest’ conjures up images of Led Zeppelin’s No Quarter’, at other times these classic keyboards could well be channeling the late great Jon Lord.
‘Another Man’s Shoes’ screeches out of the blocks with some epic feedback. On the other hand, hard rocking numbers like ‘The Enforcer’ or ‘Things Get Better’ are destined to be a staple fan favorites in the band’s live set.
‘Enjoy The Time’ brings the album to a close with a slightly slower, more soulful number and adds texture to the album, while at the same time giving a possible indication that the band may explore this direction further in future.

One of the best ways for a band to succeed from the release of a follow-up album is to develop as a group prior to making such a huge commitment. Monster Truck have focused on sharing their existing music with crowds of potential and existing fans, and in the process they’ve had the opportunity to refine their style through experiences alongside acts like ZZ Top, Rival Sons, Slash, etc.
Honestly, Monster Truck did not make it for me in their debut album, but this “Sittin’ Heavy” seriously rocks.
It is packed full of crowd pleasing, groove heavy, crunchy guitar riffs, blistering solos and infectious rock numbers. “Rock n’ roll might save your life, might save your life tonight,” proclaims vocalist Jon Harvey in the opening track of the album.
No one can argue with that.

01 – Why Are You Not Rocking?
02 – Don’t Tell Me How To Live
03 – She’s A Witch
04 – For The People
05 – Black Forest
06 – Another Man’s Shoes
07 – Things Get Better
08 – The Enforcer
09 – The Flame
10 – New Soul
11 – Enjoy The Time

Jon Harvey – Lead Vocals, Bass
Brandon Bliss – Keys and Vocals
Steve Kiely – Drums and Vocals
Jeremy Widerman – Guitar and Vocals

PRE ORDER:
www.amazon.co.uk/Sittin-Heavy-Monster-Truck/dp/B0182YM238
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