The Rock Dose

Review: Dirt Mall Got The Goat By The Horns

by Scott on August 26th, 2008

I hold a pretty high standard when it comes to modern rock these days. Why? Probably because I more of a metal fan than a rock fan, but I try to be non biased when listening to something new. A lot of rock fans would argue and say that Metal will never be as mainstream and perhaps it all sounds the same, but I would argue just the opposite. Now if you’re a rock band trying to make it big you have to bring something new to the table. Something with a great hook. Something that doesn’t sound like everything else, and that’s difficult these days. You have to have talent and something that someone else doesn’t. The days of keeping it “simple rock ‘n roll” are far over. With that said, let me get to a rather short and disparaging review of a band that may be recording records, but I doubt will ever go much further without great change.

Dirt Mall Describes themselves as: “Dirt Mall is a rock & roll band. If we had to elaborate, we’d mention something about the hyper garage punk of The Hellacopters or the drive of AC/DC. If pressed further, a love for the heavy riffs of Black Sabbath and the reckless abandon of The Replacements would surely come up. However, if we mentioned all of those bands, we’d be setting expectations way too high.”

Dirt Mall wrote your basic rock record with Got The Goat By The Horns. Nothing special. Garage rock. If they are happy with their sound and enjoy gigging small bars and such, then more power to them. But with a lot of solid modern rock acts releasing great records this year, Dirt Mall doesn’t have a chance. The first four songs on the album sound the same. The guitars sound the same, the vocals sound the same, everything sounds the same. When I say sounds the same I don’t mean it sounds like the same person. I mean it sounds like the same chord progression, the same drum rhythms, and same vocal melody, only different words. The only song that sounds significantly different from the rest is ‘The Demons & The Damned’, but that starts to get less interesting after the first 3 minutes and you still have 6 more minutes to go until the end. I almost thought the very last song (Ghost Descend) had something to it when it first started to play…but I was mistaken.

I tried to listen to this record more than once just to give it a chance and see if the sound grows on you, but I was bored to tears. This is garage rock and honestly that’s where it’s going to stay unless this band get’s a refill of their creative juices and steps it up.

I really hate to give a bad review to a band that’s trying to bust on to the scene out of a place that brought us great rock bands like Aerosmith, but if you want to make it in today’s age you have to make every records as if it’s your last…and for this band it just may be. I may not be rwiting or recording records, but If I was it would be better than this.

Check it out for yourself at http://myspace.com/dirtmall or CDBaby.com

Imahe Source: CDBaby.com

Share This

Related Stories

In Review: Royal Bliss, Dirt Mall, Sound and fury, and TaprootGive Me Your Dirt Contest: Win Motley Crue’s "The Dirt" AutobiographyMotley Crue Saints Of Los Angeles Review @ Metal MartyrWinner Of "The Dirt" Contest Is…Win Free CD’s From The Rock Dose

POSTED IN: New Releases, Reviews