Based out of Austin, Lions snarl to life amidst a squall of furious guitars and thumping drums. With a sound that calls upon late-'80s Soundgarden, a touch of Fu Manchu, and a good ol’ dose of Kyuss, the quartet from Texas have come up with a heavy, bluesy, ultimately rewarding record with No Generation.
Formed in the late summer of 2005, Lions have toured ceaselessly with the likes of Burning Brides, Blue Cheer, Local H, and the Toadies. And, as a true sign of having arrived, their track “Metal Heavy Lady” appears on Guitar Hero 3.
Led by lead singer and guitarist Matt Drenik, these Lions pace the jungle with a slow, stoned swagger. Infused with the '60s, '70s, and early '90s, No Generation finds this band ripping through an amalgamation of different sounds and discovering their own in the midst of shadowy guitar riffs and some seriously solid grooves.
No Generation is short, clocking in at less than 40 minutes, but it manages to coax many a thick jam out of the time. Austin Kalman’s guitar adds a sense of coating to the tracks, while Mikey Sellman’s bass and Jake Perlman’s rolling drums drive the music from the bottom up. As a band, they are a crisp entity with a firm sense of timing and accuracy. At the same time, the music has a liberal and almost languorous feel about it.
Perfect for a smoke-filled van with shag carpeting, the record kicks off with the sludgy breadth of “Start Moving.” Drenik shouts the vocals over a swirling riff, calling to mind the Eddie Glass-led Nebula. The song has a pull to it, unremittingly driving through the mill with an easy lean.
As the album unfolds, the diversity of Lions starts to show. They play with grunge, pre-grunge, and '70s jams but keep the solid riffs and hard-working stance throughout it all. This is a band that never loses the beat when experimenting and always maintains a semblance of order, even in the most ostensibly untidy moments.
That’s not to say that Lions don't embrace the chaos every now and then. Check out the misshapen fuzz and AC/DC riffs that greet the middle of “Can You Hear Me?” The track drives with an almost industrial music grind, but snakes off through classic rock patterns with reckless abandon. And “Evil Eye” toys with the industrial pound again before rolling through a thrust that Lemmy would be proud of.
No Generation closes out with the record’s most enterprising cut, a nearly seven-minute jam called “Get Out Alive.” Guitar sprinkles the track as Sellman drives it with his bass. Perlman’s kick drum provides rhythm in the psychedelic haze. Slowly-paced and progressive to the core, this beautiful cut is a brilliant way to slow things down and redeploy after the driving rock of the previous cuts.
Lions’ No Generation is a tight rock album packed with smoking jams and teases of industrial, punk, thrash, and progressive. With enough riffs to satisfy the most judicious air guitar player and plenty of stoner rock greatness, this is a record that these Lions can take pride in.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
nice review jordan. i'm totally sold after listening to "No Generation". i also like how "Get Out Alive" starts out so differently from that song...until they bring the sledgehammer.
oh, and the brevity of the record...that's a good thing. i wish more artists would do it.