Per the notes included with my review copy of Davey Suicide’s self-titled debut album, Davey Suicide, he is “ready to set the world ablaze.” That is quite the introduction; however, does it actually accomplish this? Does it really set the world ablaze? Well, see the notes at the end of this review, and that will tell you whether or not Davey accomplished what he set out for.
If you appreciate dirty, punky, “fuck you” type of music, then yes. You will love this album. People are wondering where metal went. Well, it went somewhere after the wake of grunge, but Davey might be bringing some of it back. With a myriad of themes, this album is definitely an interesting compilation of songs, moving through various styles, displayed through the Davey Suicide lens.
The album has a short and elegant foreshadowing intro of kids singing. It’s eerie, and reminiscent of the Freddy Krueger chant from Nightmare on Elm Street; however, that is short lived, and the album bursts into life with the true opening track, “Generation Fuckstar.” This song seizes with industrial flare, augmented with siren-like guitar effects. Opening this album, from within this song is where Davey Suicide likes to introduce himself. It’s like a big “Hello, Fuck you, fuck it all.” It has a nice pushing beat and repetitive vocals, sang in various tones, from clean, to spoken, to screamed. It also has some varied syncopations, allowing this song to be interesting amongst a repetitive chorus. Nice intro Mr. Suicide!
Following up is “Sick Suicide” which opens up with melodic guitar that pushes into a multiple stylized beats, utilizing multiple tempos. This song is the follow-up to “Generation Fuckstar,” whereas ‘Fuckstar’ wants to introduce you to who he is, this song is where he moves to empathize with the listener, and allowing them to feel something in common with him. It’s the beacon that attracts the disenfranchised.
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One of the things I miss about rock and roll, is that we are lacking in the dirty sex songs. I mean, sure, we have a lil Buck Cherry singing about a crazy bitch that fucks so good, but really, there is not much more than that, until now. “Hustler Queen” has a delicious dirtiness about it, where he sings about a sexual encounter as a chick belts out “FUCK” letter by letter, like a horny cheerleader. The tempo is upbeat, and it revolves around said encounter. The drumming and rough guitar drive the momentum so that you can feel it, and the guitar solo thrusts into the key change, blowing the song onto the next level. It does toy with industrial elements, but has a strong commercial feel as well, regardless of the theme.
Where “Hustler Queen” is more about the act of fucking, “Uncross Your Legs” is about the aftermath of said fucking, and what happens after you’ve had a ride on Suicide. The melody carried by the guitar in the intro is impressive, and the vocals being smooth and simple, allow the guitar to pull the song into the chorus. The lyrics profess that Davey has the prowess to make you fall out of love with your current partner. He must have mad skills! This song incorporates beats at the ends of some phrases, produced both electronically and by the drum itself, which add a flirtatious vibe that make you believe that Davey is indeed the man who can make you forget the rest.
Being that California is where Davey currently calls home, Unholywood Kilafornia is his anti-homage to his home. The choruses are slightly repetitive; however, the climax driving into the key change is quite impressive, and it enables the song to unravel itself until the very end. I do enjoy this song, but I feel that it is fluff for the album; albeit good fluff, I don’t find it as interesting or complex as the others movements on this album. I’ve seen it played live, and it does rev a crowd, but as far as this song being a high point in this album, I don’t believe it to be as thematically important, technically impressive, or lyrically moving as the rest. It is rock song meant to be played on stage to a throng of fans, not a listener of one. I don’t want to be too harsh here though, because the song is totally cool, and I sing along every time I hear it. It’s got a solid beat and rhythm that make you move your head. It’s driving and powerful, but that is about it.
“In My Chest Is A Grave” has to be one of the more emotional songs on this compilation. Davey opens up and speaks about his youth. He digs deep and uncovers dark places from within, touching on his parent’s divorce and custody situation, his feeling of alienation, and how this inspired his writing. Whereas the previous song didn’t carry much weight, this song does. The lyrics are telling, the singing is varied, using a series of different singing styles. He screams, whispers, utilizes clean vocals, making this song simply impressive to behold.
“Kids of America 3” enters with a happy tinkling carnival music, but then breaks into an industrial based beats. The vocals also move between singing and low spoken growls. I believe this song speaks to the youth of America, and depicts their expectation of instant gratification, their angst, and how this impacts perceptions not only for the youth, but everyone. This song has some quirky electronic influences throughout, particularly in the industrial percussion and interspersed steam bursts. Davey also inserts lower range spoken vocals that open into the chorus that is a declaration and definition of the rebellious inclination of America’s youth. It ends with distorted and digitized vocals chanting “we will never be like you – we are the kids of America,” which I truly enjoy as a subliminal metaphor of today’s digitized youth.
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Up next is definitely my favorite song, “One More Night.” It is a “love song,” in the sense of remembering love lost, and the desire to re-experience that feeling. The song inspires a sense of dejavu. I’ve heard this song before, but I can’t recall where. I was not the only person to experience this with this song. I invited a few other people to listen to it, and they all said that they had heard it before, but they couldn’t remember when or where, or who sang it. The lyrics are transportive, as we all have a moment of love in the past that we would sell our soul to relive. The climactic key change features a bombastic, yet simple movement that pushes the song into an urgent plea for another moment, driven by the surge in tempo in the guitar and drums.
Professor Asshole is not a song, but a skit showing the narrowminded-ness and inaccuracies of some media outlets regarding Davey Suicide. Davey Suicide takes matters into his own hands, and it is left up to the listener to interpret how he remedies the situation with his gun.
“Grab Your Gun and Hide Your Morals” has at its roots an intro that sounds like early punk, with a rhythmic beat, enhanced by screamed chorus and heavy quick thrummed guitar. It takes me back to a time inspired by the Circle Jerks, but then it moves into a low groove, sticky tempo, lower register spoken vocals that provide this song with a nice contrasting set of opposing styles, which work magically together. The guitar intertwines with electronic components in the conclusion to become cacophonic gorgeousness of punk-metal.
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“Fallacies” is another flourish piece that enables the movement of this album. It’s a like catalyst between songs. This one opens from what sounds like a hospital, keeping someone alive, but with ethereal voices that break into Davey speaking about a critique about society and media, and that at the crux of it all, dreaming is what is keeping us alive. The life-support machine then flat lines, which speaks volumes.
“God Head Killers” belts in with an 80s glamrock style that we all love, with the crunchy guitar and beats, complimented by the verse leading into the refrain. It then breaks into the style that Davey is capturing with his music: kicking ass and delivering a message. It is propelled forward into a deep guitar solo that soars into the end, leaving you to say, “Thank you Davey for bringing this back!” This is where rock has been hiding all along.
To close the album, Davey gives us “I’ll Take a Bullet For You. ” This song is moving and gentle, where Davey opens himself to show how much he truly is willing to give. Per the description that came with the music, this song is an “addiction elegy.” That is fine, but the lyrics are so finely penned so that they can literally mean any type of self-sacrifice made for someone else. The melody is solid and haunting, and Davey makes this song another one of the stand-outs on this album.
Per AP, Davey Suicide is one of the top 100 artists to keep an eye on this year, and they could not be more correct. He is truly an artist, with complex emotions, simple and direct trajectories with song messaging and branding. The delivery is solid, and he has nowhere to go but up. If the debut album rocks this much, I can’t wait to see what else this artist has in store.
Davey Suicide gets 4 out of 5 Skulls, but I will set them on fire, because he does rock the shit out of some ballads!
