Brick Bath
American Currency
5.5
With their 2001 debut, I Won’t Live the Lie, Brick Bath had an album that put them right in line to be the successor to Pantera’s throne of thrash-based, groove-oriented metal: a unique vocalist, impressive chops, and solid songs that were easily remembered. Then they had to go and kill all their momentum by parting ways with that vocalist, and since I never had the chance to hear the followup album, Rebirth, I was equally excited and curious to review their latest effort. Of course, all that excitement could only lead to disappointment.
American Currency is primarily mid-paced thrash metal with metalcore screaming for vocals. The energy that crackled throughout their debut is gone, leaving a slightly-muddy feel that hardly inspires the head to bang. Not a whole lot of variation here so it’s often difficult to discern one song from another. When I listened to this for the first time, I remember being rather bored, as I waited for something to come along that rocked my nuts like “Inner Peace” or “Bone Dry”. I never got it, although “Victim Again” came close, and even “No Mercy” could have been a winner if not for the high-school jock mentality of the lyrics. I finally found a winner in “Don’t Provoke”, with its tempo changes and varied vocal lines, but obviously that isn’t enough to make an album.
The more I listen, the more I think that Brick Bath is having an identity crisis, although I can’t quite pin it down. It might be similar to what happened with Pissing Razors on their last album, which saw those mighty thrashers fall flat, as well (but with them, you can always chalk it up to the everchanging lineup). I probably wouldn’t be so critical if this were a debut album, but as it stands, American Currency is a bit of a letdown.
