
Yeah, Sick! – Set To Devour Us All
Self-Released
Release Date: 26/06/2022
Running Time: 35:00
Review by Rory Bentley
7/10
I’m not sure why I keep getting so many comedic bands to review, probably some kind of karmic justice for being such a miserable prick and being mean to our Rob Sutton (the hyperactive little bugger deserves it for his crimes – Dark Juan) for doing a humorous band he enjoys rather than a Prog band that nobody cares about like me. But either way here stands before me a band with comedy song titles and a band name that screams ‘we’re not taking ourselves too seriously’. Fortunately Aussie duo Yeah, Sick! Have a pretty unique take on Punk/Hardcore/Metal, based entirely on bass and drums and there are more hits than misses with the more humorous songs.
‘Tinfoil Wizard’ is an amusing ode to that twat you know that’s watched a few YouTube videos and now thinks they’re qualified to disregard the rules of science and nature, ending with a rousing gang vocals of ‘NOTHING BUT A TIN FOIL FREAK!’ The bass and drums lock into a crossover Trash groove and a Nu-Metal bounce which sounds surprisingly substantial thanks to a boat load of distortion and the fact that the smooth transitions between sections is much clearer thanks to their stripped-down approach.
Versatility is incredibly important when the bass is the only melodic instrument at the band’s disposal, and the Grindcore approach of ‘Spill Your Guts’ into the D-Beat attack of ‘Serve It Cold’ is just one of many examples where YS draw from a wide pool of influences to keep things interesting. Despite the often light-hearted lyrics the musicianship and composition here is no joke.
We even get a little taste of Doom in ‘Machine Man’ with some crushing riffs and monotone melodic singing adding more flavour to the mix. The song, like most of them on here, eventually gets tired of sitting on its hands and goes mental for the latter part, but still it shows the band are capable of restraint even for a little while.
Not everything hit the mark for me on “Set to Devour us All”. Although it’s an effective tool for creating hooks, shouting the song title for every other outro does lose its impact after a while and feels a bit route one. I also found ‘The Little Book of Calm’ a tad tedious with its repeated switching between a soothing voice reading zen quotes into chaotic Metal. It’s a joke that wears thin very quickly into the song’s three minute runtime and if they absolutely had to put this little knee-slapped on the record, it would have been better served at half the length.
Any ill will my curmudgeonly brain has towards the more on the nose comedic misfires of the album is largely washed away by final track ‘The Trickster’ which is just a straight up banger. Stripped of the comedic aspects, it is a lengthier song that begins with a melodic intro higher up the neck of the bass before essentially turning into an Earth Crisis song. It’s a bit of a jarring transition from the rest of the album but I’m very glad it’s on here.
The key thing that sells the album is the overarching feeling that it’s just two mates having fun making a racket. At it’s best it recalls the cut and thrust of noisy Brit rockers Winnebago Deal (ask your older friends, kids) and at its worst it’s just a few gimmicks that don’t land with a grumpy prick in his late thirties. Overall this is a fun listen and contains enough musical chops and tongue in cheek vibes to kick back and enjoy with a cold beverage and your brain on ice.
‘Living Hamburger’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Tin Foil Freak
02. Spill Your Guts
03. Serve It Cold
04. Machine Man
05. John Wick’s Dog
06. Living Hamburger
07. The Little Book of Calm
08. Vegan Butcher
09. The Trickster
LINE-UP:
Liam (Frosty) Frost-Camilleri – Bass/Vocals
Benito Martino – Drums
LINKS:
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