Western Addiction – Frail Bray

San Francisco hardcore punk act Western Addiction is one of the harder hitting bands to land on Fat Wreck Chords.  They have the honour of having released one of the more widely regarded doses of tough as nails hardcore, with their 2005 Cognicide album garnering universal recognition as one of the purest modern representations of 80’s hardcore in years.  To date the band has shown a strong commitment to their craft, rejecting any bells and whistles in favour of speed, muscle, and tenacious riffs.  

Their third full length, Frail Bray, adds generously to their firmly established reputation.  Vocalist Jason Hall belts aggressively in a way that melds together elements of a classic age dominated by GBH, Cro-Mags and Black Flag with a modern edge that places them in the ballpark of peers and labelmates like PEARS.  Hall’s uncomfortable rageful voice ranges between throaty calls to action and a sludgy, hardened, almost talking tone.  Opener “The Leopard and Juniper” keeps up a steady pace with guitarists Ken Yamazaki and Tony Teixeira laying down a foundation of rough rocky riffs and a preview of how high the band’s chords can fly.  “They Burned Our Paintings” opens with the thunderous rumble of Mitch Paglia’s bass, underpinning the track’s subtly lurching tempo and metaphor of modern resistance.  Lines like “You can burn our paintings, We’ll dream a thousand more, Each one more coercive than before,” showcase the band’s knack for intelligent and passionate political commentary.  Others like “Laurette” are simpler, focusing on breakneck speed and passion, while the final few tracks gravitate towards the chugging hard rock school of hardcore.

Western Addiction’s combination of attitude and muscle can be summed up in the two-part mid-album duo of tracks, “Rose’s Hammer I” and “Rose’s Hammer II.”  The initial track focuses on speed, aggression and a whack of symbolic imagery.  “Rose’s Hammer I” maliciously roars from the gates, teeth gnashing like some other worldly being, spouting cryptic warnings in chorus lines like, “When boats rise, you’ll be lost at sea / Saddled, sultried / Dawn of morning, housed in the night.”  It’s fast and raw, and finds balance in the sudden tempo drop of “Rose’s Hammer II.”  Born of hard nosed riffs and an almost hard southern rock swagger, part two feels more menacing than the first, with lines like, “There’s skeletal hype in the fainting room,” that will take listeners several close listens to peel back the lyrical layers of meaning.  The song even has a brief and mysterious acoustic bridge that flirts with elements of flamenco.  This fleeting experimentation further surfaces on “Wildflowers of Italy,” in which the band inserts a short bout of piano keys to further build the atmosphere. These intermittent moments infuse unexpected hints of hope amidst the otherwise desolate landscape.  

Western Addiction lives up to their reputation as a no holds barred return to fundamentals punk band that feels like more than a mere throwback.  In a world dominated by clean singable melody, Western Addiction doesn’t hesitate to turn up the volume and unleash the beast.  With a brash attitude, angular chords and a jarring presence, the distinctive San Francisco quartet makes Frail Bray out as yet another hard hitting entry that gives fans exactly what they want.  As foundational as Frail Bray is, Western Addiction avoids directly replicating their past efforts, infusing scattered traces of hope and subtle experimentation along the way.  One of the year’s truest and fiercest doses of hardcore punk.