MONSTER TRUCK — Sittin' Heavy (review)

MONSTER TRUCK — Sittin' Heavy album cover

Album · 2016 · Hard Rock

4/5 · 2021-02-18
siLLy puPPy

Blues driven heavy rock has been one of the primary staples of the entire rock music paradigm and had its heyday in the 1960s and 70s but remained popular throughout the 1990s however in the 21st century this style of rock has lost significant ground to new breeds of metal, indie rock and countless styles of experimental rock, hip hop and even neo-soul. There are always bands that are more inspired by the retro sounds of the past rather than the sounds of the here and now that surround them and MONSTER TRUCK is one such band which seems to have channeled the zeitgeist of classic 70s bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and Band Company with the harder 90s edge of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Queens of the Stone Age.

In addition to the denim wearing hard rock plan of attack of this quartet of retro rockers, MONSTER TRUCK adds heavy doses of Southern rock sounds to their recipe thus evoking the long lost sounds of the Allman Brothers Band, Little Feat, the Outlaws and even the Black Crowes however what’s really unexpected is that this quartet that sounds as if it has escaped some time deprived region near the Okefenokee Swamp in the USA’s souther region is that they are actually from Canada and not from some podunk outpost in some chronologically deprived region of the nation but rather from the city of Hamilton, Ontario which sits just south of Canada’s largest city Toronto. The internet age has certainly yielded some interesting developments indeed.

Stylistically MONSTER TRUCK captures all the essence of a time long gone but does it with such gusto and bravado that this band makes you scratch your head and wonder if bluesy hard rock is on the verge of making a comeback. As i ponder that notion i have to remember that music world hasn’t been a homogenized one in quite some time but rather a mosaic of niche markets with MONSTER TRUCK appealing most to those who feel they have been left behind in the relentless assault of all the “noise music” that has replaced those good old fashioned bluesy grooves laced with the spirit of liberty, freedom and a damn near perfect set of matching denim jeans and jackets. Whatever the case MONSTER TRUCK is the soundtrack for your journey to good things retro especially pointing to the late 1970s and early 80s.

Whatever your stance is on retro bluesy hard rock, one thing is for sure and that is that MONSTER TRUCK delivers the goods here without missing a beat. Jon Harvey’s grizzled vocal style perfectly suits this whiskey fueled style of monster rock and perfectly accented by the strong rhythmic drive of the bass and drums and made all the stronger by stellar guitar workouts that stick to the playbook and never get too wild and crazy. Although keyboards are a part of the equations, they act as an emulsifier that smooths out the rough edges. The result is the best groove based blues based hard rock experience since Molly Hatchet’s unleashed its raucous single “Flirtin’ With Disaster.” While the band formed as far back as 2009 and released its debut “Furiosity” in 2013, it’s this sophomore album SITTIN’ HEAVY where the band’s sound really came together with a collection of 11 blues soaked heavy rockers just bursting with confidence.

This no nonsense approach begins with the fiery opener “Why Are You Not Rocking?” followed by the anthemic “Don't Tell Me How To Live” which has been revered as a modern day theme song for sovereignty seekers and freedom fighters throughout God’s given land. The album doesn’t let up for its duration with one hook-laden guitar riff after another with each song evoking a sense of a long running tradition rather than drifting off into any sort of experimentation. While MONSTER TRUCK wears its influences on its sleeve for all to see, the band somehow has woven a unique tapestry that keeps it from sounding too much like any of the aforementioned influences. For those who have a hankering for some seriously delectable doses of classic bluesy hard rock sounds then MONSTER TRUCK is certainly one of the better bands of the modern era who has tackled this style of classic rock and SITTIN’ HEAVY is so far the band’s best effort yet.