Have you ever heard a tune for the very first time, and within 10 seconds been like "holy crap this is insane, where did this come from???" Very few bands that I listen to ever give me that massive burst in energy like i got when opening the very first track Atomic Fuzz on Pieces Of Molly’s brand new self-titled album.
I know I’m probably starting to show my age here, but if you could imagine a mix of Supergrass, Wolfmother, and The D4, you’re probably heading in the right direction of what Pieces Of Molly sound like, and maybe just to spice things up, increase it by about 40bpm, and make sure the drummer has had at least 7 Red Bull’s and a shot of Jägermeister before turning up to band practice, then add another layer of distortion to the entire band.
The lead guitar performance is flawless through the entire
album (in fairness, everything is). It leads the tunes, but it isn’t the glue
that holds everything in-tact. The riffs are definitely there, but the songs aren’t riff based,
they are wholly and entirely lead from the back by Doug on bass and Sam on rhythm
guitar with the lead just popping into guide each verse and chorus and set the
tone, then casually wandering into the back room, grabbing a flamethrower, wandering
back in, and setting fire to everything in the room.
As I stated earlier, Kurt the drummer is a busy man. Extremely calculated. For me this is the highlight of the album as that’s the bands source of power and energy. Without the amount of drive coming from the back, the band would really struggle to amalgamate all of those synergistic tones and get the same thrashy outcome without sounding overly messy.
Vocals over the top are exactly what are needed. Ewen’s voice compliments the amount of shred that comes from his guitar with this incredible relationship that is a match made in heaven. It’s raw, its powerful, it’s a touch harsh, and its edgy as hell.
Highlights for me? – Don’t Shine A Light Into The Dark, and I Don’t Wanna which funnily enough are the two debut tunes off the album that are also their hit singles. For me I also really enjoyed Eyes Of Time as for me it branches off to bring a few other rock elements to the table that I don’t hear too much in the other songs, but it’s clear that these guys are insanely good musicians and all bring their own creativity to the show. That’s the bit that makes them stand out over almost any other kiwi band I’ve heard for the last 5 years.
Final verdict? Guilty of producing an album that shreds.
Mind Altering Riff Hypnotists, Pieces Of Molly hail from Christchurch, New Zealand.
Their attraction is undeniable, their sound is one to be reckoned with. High octane primal Rock n Roll.
Pieces of Molly are preparing for the release of their highly anticipated debut album, late October 2022.