The Brains – Drunk Not Dead

The Brains turned a real corner with their 2010 full length, Zombie Nation.  Aided by plenty of notable guest appearances they went from a mediocre psychobilly act to a rich and complete graveyard carnival, filling out their sound with plenty of distortion and an atmospheric aura.  But it begged the question: could they do it on their own, without the guiding hand of the psychobilly elite (guest appearances by The Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space placed a big role)?  Wasting no time, the Montreal trio returns but a short year later with their inebriated response, Drunk Not Dead, showcasing their now unmistakable brand of 50’s rock n’ roll meets restless streetwalking corpse.

The good news is that mostly everything that marked Zombie Nation remains in tact.  The grizzled guitars on opener “Four Beast Ride,” the deep cutting guitar solo dividing “Premonitions,” the hip shaking retro throwback of “Take What I Want (Souvenir of Monte Christo)”and the self-defacing humour of “We Are The Brains” make for a sound that The Brains can safely call their own.  For a trio, the band continues to flesh out their sound with the trademark punch of speed and personality that originally carried their sound across the Atlantic to the psychobilly motherlands of Europe.

The title track deserves a particular shout out for doing a number of things quite well.  Where I’ve knocked the band for their simple lyrics and tendency for repetition, “Drunk Not Dead” lands on an addictive chorus line that grows rather than grates with each successive listen.  “Last night I set the world on fire, I was out of my mind, last night I couldn’t get much higher, I was drunk not dead” sings Rene D La Muerte to the crisp gang “woahs” of a melodic backdrop.  Crucially, the track builds steam from the momentum slugging guitar solo that sets up a very fulfilling chorus-heavy conclusion.

The bad news though, is that little hiccups from The Brains’ less sunny past still surface.  Thankfully their frequency is starkly reduced from their Hell N’ Back days.  In particular “I’m Your Nightmare” still falls into the trap of forced lyrical rhymes that just don’t cut it (“Chasin’, no escapin’, runnin’, I’m still commin’”).  These are small gripes, and ones that with the benefit of time have been fading across the band’s career, so with a little luck it’s only a matter of time before they leave them behind entirely.

With double bass thumping and zombie makeup and gore plastered upon their bodies, The Brains continue making their mark.  I would still choose Zombie Nation over Drunk Not Dead, but I think the latter is a stronger showcase for the band’s development as musicians.  They seem to be more willing to take chances and break from the mould that once constrained them.  The thrashy little number “Oh Murder” makes a strong case for the band escaping from their caskets of conformity and just letting lose.  The Brains may have made a name for themselves well before their talent caught up to their notoriety, but it’s safe to say that they’re finally reaching that level.