The Senton Bombs – Mass Vendetta (2016)

In a dark, sweaty pub stands a band ready to play their fourth studio album live for the first time. The crowd is going wild, sitting atop each other’s shoulders and crowd surfing. Or at least that’s how I pictured it when I listened to The Senton Bombs album, Mass Vendetta.

This album is the band’s most awaited album since becoming global artists from the success of their last album. The hard-core rock album is filled with a diverse range of songs that all work together to create an album that will have definitely gotten them many new fans, including me. From the point of view of someone who wishes they were alive during the Zeppelin and Jagger phase, this band definitely comes close to this well-earned title with Mass Vendetta.

The first song, ‘Trailblazer’ is one of their stronger songs that starts the album off to a good note. It begins with a guitar riff that is carried throughout the whole song, simple but effective. The bridge of this song changes tone with a guitar solo that is perfectly conducted. It takes me back to the classic rock, the kind of music that would send people into fits of craziness.

‘Mainstream’ and ‘Trainwreck’ are the next two tracks of the album that follow suit of the first song. They all have the guitar as the dominant instrument that leads. This ideal challenges the typical structure as the drum usually sets up the song. I found that the songs that had this guitar dominance were the songs that flowed with more ease.

The fourth track ‘Out West’ is a turning point in the album as the rest of the songs seem to change their style. ‘Out West’ is one of the slower tracks that still carries the same style as the rest of the album. When listening to this song, I imagine the same crowded room swaying with their phone flashlights up in the air. It also has the ability to show the diversity of The Senton Bombs’ sound as it portrays a softer side to their music.

‘Mass Vendetta,’ the fifth track, was one of the weaker songs of the album. Well, for me anyway. I found the instrumentals to be stressful, which some people may like; but a ‘head-banging’ song is where I draw the line. This song is supposedly the anthem of the album as it is the title but I feel as though it lets the band down. Even though this is not one of my favourites, I do like the consistency of the guitar. It possesses a hard and sharp tune that fits in with the rest of this track.

’13 Days’, ‘Pretty Tricky’, ‘Wedlock Horns’, ‘Avalanche’ and ‘Red Shield’ all hold the same style but are different from the rest of the songs. The central beat of these songs becomes the drums instead of the guitar that is heard in so many other tracks. This array of songs all hold something unique, whether it be a slow song, a country sound or just downright mind-blowing solos.

The last song, ‘Apex’, is set up as a great way to end the album. It mimics the first song by going back to that hard-core rock that was lost in the middle of the album. The guitar comes back to its rightful place as the central instrument. It is a great way to end a great album.

So if you couldn’t already tell, I loved this album and will definitely be saving up my coins to buy Mass Vendetta.