Trevor’s Head

“Tricolossus”

Album review by Vicky Jackson-Milne

8/10

You know when you have one of those days when you want to listen to something, but you really can’t make up your mind what style you want to listen to. Well, let me introduce you to Surrey’s, Trevor’s Head and their new album ‘Tricolossus’. This album spans pretty much most of the spectrum with it visiting punk, grunge, southern, metal ‘n’ roll, sludge, a touch of Indie and a sprinkle of blues.

Opening with ‘Blood Moon’, TH grab you by the hand and start leading you down a dirty fuzz fuelled path with a sweet chugging riff, then the crystal clear vocals kick in and really transform the track into something pretty different. Not that I want to keep repeating what everyone else says but If you had to compare it to anyone it would have to be Queens of the Stoneage. BUT, however, you can tell that it’s very much TH’s own style and it sets you up for the rest of the album. Next up is ‘Government Whores’, of which the title is pretty self explanatory as to it’s meaning. A heavy full speed riff takes you into this full on southern punk mash up which comes full circle into ‘Deep Blue Fish’ which shows off fully, the punk side of this band, this track is one of the stand outs for me on the album, it makes me want to ska and head bang at the same time, which isn’t an easy feat!

Next up on this unusual journey is ‘Idiot Time’. A much more hardcore influenced heavy metal track. It’s got the distorted guitar sound that everyone loves, gravelier vocals and incessant drumming, it’s definitely a punch in the royal region to let you know that they can throw you a curve ball or two every so often. ‘Ordinary Kind’ slows you back down a little and goes right back down to the sludge pits, mid-paced but heavy, this is the one track that will definitely translate well to stage, with a good chanty bit for the crowd to join in on during the chorus.

Moving on and getting back on the punk/southern bus, this time infused with the touch of Indie that I mentioned earlier but also including the fuzz is ‘But A Scratch’. This is a well placed track as it marks the beginning of the second half of the album, when it all gets a bit more experimental. Namely ‘I Had Dreamt I Was Man…’ which is a spoken word poem backed by quiet tinkling guitar and bass drum. ‘Pan-Galactic Peacniks’ is very much at the metal ‘n’ roll end of things, but it’s definitely TH’s own take on things, different rhythm changes throughout and full of energy, another one that’ll go down very well live.

‘Roll It Over’ speeds things up a little bit, with much more gruff vocals than the rest of the album and fast paced guitars and drums. They’ve done this track very well, though the production is a little absent, however, it still sounds brill and heavy. ’21 Tones’ is an absolute experiment of all things sludge, doom and stoner. It’s as heavy as a heavy thing from planet heavy and has a great tempo change halfway through. It’s leads very well on to the final track of the album ‘Casa De Eduardo’ which is a total change to the whole album. It’s that lump of chocolate at the bottom of a cornetto cone, a very nice surprise. All of the punk, all of the indie, all of the ska, but sticking firmly in the metal realm with it’s dirty riffs, it’s quick, it’s punchy, slowing right down towards the end with a Radiohead-esque haunt and it finishes this album off brilliantly.

I’ll admit, this album confused me when I first listened to it because of it having so many different sounds and styles and it jumping from one to the other, HOWEVER, upon a second listen, it totally grabbed me, and I totally get it. I’d like to also point out how refreshing it is for a vocalist not to ‘Americanise’ their voice when singing. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing and hearing how these guys translate this album onto stage. It’s so diverse and I hope they continue to not put themselves on one shelf as it makes for exciting listening.

LISTEN FOR: Deep Blue Fish, Idiot Time, Casa De Eduardo

TRACK LIST:

1. Blood Moon
2. Government Whores
3. Deep Blue Fish
4. Idiot Time
5. Ordinary Kind
6. But A Scratch
7. I Had Dreamt I Was Man…
8. Pan-Galactic Peaceniks
9. Roll It Over
10. 21 Tonnes
11. Casa De Eduardo

CHECK THEM OUT:

https://trevorshead.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TrevorsHead/?fref=ts

LINEUP:

Vocals / Guitar: Roger Atkins

Bass: Aaron Strachan
Drums: Matt Ainsworth

     

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