Pain Is Temporary* Glory Is Forever

The Carburetors

Facefront, 2004

http://www.thecarburetors.com

REVIEW BY: Chris Harlow

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/09/2004

It's another day and we have yet another debut album from yet another action rock band from yet another Scandinavian country.

I hate to sound so ho-hum in setting the table for my review of the Carburetors' Pain is Temporary * Glory is Forevermy_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 release but when I see five Norwegians in matching black mechanic workshirts looking decidedly German while sporting crewcuts and Ray-Ban's, it's as if I know what to expect before I even crack the jewel case to hear the material.

Never mind the "pain" and "glory" message in the album title, either. Or, the fact that the band's name is synonymous with the muscle car iconography of the 1970's era that this genre of music was commonly known to rear. One can't knowingly want to be so come off sounding so obviously derivative, right?

After listening to the album, I have some simple thoughts.

How long are C-G-D-G chord progressions going to be cool and how long will it be before audiences tire of hearing bands that repeatedly develop choruses consisting of call and response grunts built around such cheesy machismo statements as "God Damn (It's Good to be Right)" or "Frontpage Babe"?

Well, this all leads me to a more succinct critique of Pain is Temporary * Glory is Forever. The songwriting is weak and the music, save a random guitar solo from Stian Krogh and Kai Kidd, is largely uninspiring due in large part to the fact that vocalist, Eddie Guz has as much range as Lemmy Kilmister.

Maybe I'm being a bit to harsh. Rock n' roll in its purest form was never meant to be overly complex. I know this and I'll aim to deflect any criticism by just saying that what the Carburetors have accomplished with Pain is Temporary * Glory is Forever has been done a thousand times before, just better.

But, I can say optimistically that the Carburetors perform with the attitude to match their namesake. It can be likened to a 455 horsepower engine that's stuck in first gear when the throttle should be ratcheted up a few gears higher.

Take that for what it's worth.

Rating: D

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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