The first time I ever heard of guitarist Jason Bieler was when he showed up as the touring guitar player for Swedish melodic rockers Talisman somewhere in Sweden sometime back in 1990. Talisman needed a guitarist for the tour and Jeff Scott Soto brought his buddy Bieler to join the band – and it was then that I heard the name Saigon Kick mentioned for the first time. I didn’t give it much notice though but it popped up when Saigon Kick opened up for Extreme on their Pornograffitti tour back in 1991. Saigon Kick knocked me for six that night and I bought their self-titled debut album as soon as weekend turned week-day. That album was played all the time around that time – I loved them and pretty much everyone of rock loving friends back then loved it. I still love that album. I still love that band.
Saigon Kick’s two follow-ups The Lizard (1992) and Water (1993) was brilliant as well but after the uneven Devil In The Details (1995) I lost the band completely – and the fact is, I lost track of what the members did as well, except for drummer Phil Varone who joined Skid Row for a short while. Bieler himself has released a couple of solo albums and one record with a project called Super TransAtlantic, none of which I’m familiar with at all. His last solo album, Where Dreams Go To Die came out in 2018 and now three years later he’s back and there’s a whole lot of guests that have joined up – Todd La Torre, Devin Townsend, David Ellefson, Pat Badger, Bumblefoot and Jeff Scott Soto to name but a few – and while all that sounds really interesting, I have no idea at all what to expect here – except that I expect a lot. The press release tattles of a somewhat progressive effort and my guess is that all of us who had been hoping for a Saigon Kick sounding record have to think again.
Opening with the atmospheric intro “Never Ending Circle” and this spacey, trippy piece brings on an apocalyptic vibe which fits the album’s title like a charm. It takes on this mastodon riff that takes us right into the leading single “Apology”, a slow, dark and heavy tuned-down monster, punchy and hard which brings Devin Townsend to mind – and no, he’s not on this song. Still it’s melodic enough and yes, there’s a twitch within the vocal melodies that brings Saigon Kick to mind. The chorus strikes hard and is more a fist in the jaw than a hit-sniffing pop burner. It’s memorable for sure but it’s not catchy as such even though it comes with rowdy hook. A good number, yes.
“Bring Out The Dead”, single # 2, is a slammin’ rocker in mid-pace which comes with a tuned-down guitar grit, a spaced main-melody and a vocal arrangement that sends a nod towards Saigon Kick’s Water album. It’s a rhythmic stomper and holds a menacing riff and while it’s aggressive it’s also quite melodic, especially the striking refrain. To spice things up, Devin Townsend hits the tune with a glistening solo. Very good. “Annalise” is a progressive, slightly weird rocker, both bouncy and rhythmic. It comes across as monotone and a bit unstructured until the proggy passage comes in and changes the song-structure. It’s a trippy piece of music and even though it’s ok, it’s hard to grasp and it falls off the wayside.
Starting out with a Classic Rock guitar riff, “Stones Will Fly” continues prog-laden yet straight-forward with an intense groove. Extreme’s Pat Badger and Butch Walker guests this pop-rock fueled rocker that comes off as mix of Foo Fighters meets Foreigner with a recognizable Bieler vocal-melody on top, bringing on a truck-load of hooks into the massive chorus, making it stick by first listen. This is a real killer, peeps. “Down In A Hole” is a real heavy one where both bass and guitar is tuned down which makes it bring on a darkening atmosphere. It’s kicking rhythmic with both a tribal vibe, a latin-swung breakdown, a chunky grooved jammin’ passage and a smashing refrain that grabs a hold and refuses to let go. Great stuff.
Straight out of Saigon Kick’s pop-rock pocket comes “Anthem For Losers”, a straight ahead, bang-on-target melodic rocker with big Classic Rock vibes that throws around hooks in every direction. This is a feel-good arena-rocker despite its title with a main melody and a chorus so memorable it would stick to the brain of someone with chronic memory-loss. If you want a hit, Jason, release this as a single because this is it. Awesome! “Horror Wobble The Hippo” is a trippy, fusion-laden instrumental number that comes across as somewhat disturbed with weird melodies, giving it an unstructured outlook and truth be told, it feels more like an intermission than actual song. A throwaway in my book. Or maybe it’s just me who don’t get the idea.
Third single “Beyond Hope” comes kicking with some catchy riffing, tribal drumming and moments where a Rap vibe enters the tune. Add a jazzy fusion-like solo part and you know that the influences here comes from pretty much everywhere. While were at it, throw in a bit of dancehall as well and some heavy rhythms, rowdy guitars, raspy vocals and Saigon Kick like vocal-harmonies. While all this might sound cool, the song is part damn good and part only weird. “Crab Claw Dan” goes off with softer verses on top of some kind of circus music blended with trippy, late 60’s vibes but the chorus brought with it a larger soundscape with big vocal-harmonies and melodies reminiscent of Devin Townsend Project. It’s a half-ballad of sorts with a hypnotic touch but also catchy and with a feelgood twitch.
The Hard Rock laden “Born On The Sun” throws in a little of everything Hard Rock – a little Led Zeppelin here, some Deep Purple there, some Alice In Chains melancholy topped with a chunk of Dream Theater guitar/keyboard riffing. It’s rhythmic yet straight ahead with an intense groove and a direct main-melody with a big chorus as the icing on the cake. One of the album’s finest moments. “Baby Driver” is another interlude made of a spacey and experimental bass and drum melodies and rhythms. I don’t know the purpose for this one as it’s a bagatelle. A skipper for me.
Bieler takes a big leap towards Metal with the heavy, bouncy and rowdy riffed “Alone In This World”. It’s a progressive belter yet on a straight-forward rhythm but it also holds some prominently melodic vocal-melodies that reminds of the Bieler-fronter Saigon Kick days. Jeff Scott Soto helps out filling in on the vocal-department as well. Great stuff. “Very Fine People” is an acoustic – even folk-laden – slow ballad that holds a chunky rhythm. It’s a beautiful Water-ish tune with a splendid refrain and a positive “all we need is love” message. “Fkswyso” is an outro the really begins where the intro ends and it’s a piano-piece playing over a noicy crowd. I’m not sure if there’s a meaning to this but the album really could have ended with the previous song.
I know that Bieler have said that he’s done with Saigon Kick after a few reunions (with no album in sight) but Bieler has a certain way writing and arranging his melodies which means that there’s a whole lot of those Saigon Kick-like melodies all over this record. Quality wise, this record is great but it’s also partly weird and somewhat unstructured to the point of some stuff even coming across as unfinished and rushed. Also, the intermissions doesn’t bring all that much to the table and are completely unnecessary. This is not an easy-listened album and it need its fair share of spins and even after that, not everything sticks. However, Bieler’s personal vocal-harmonies are recognizable and the progressive side suits him real well. A good album that could (should?) have been better – or maybe my expectations were a bit too high.
6/10
Tracklist:
1. Never Ending Circle
2. Apology
3. Bring Out Your Dead
4. Annalise
5. Stones Will Fly
6. Down In A Hole
7. Anthem For Losers
8. Horror Wobbles The Hippo
9. Beyond Hope
10. Crab Claw Dan
11. Born Of The Sun
12. Baby Driver
13. Alone In The World
14. Very Fine People
15. Fkswyso
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