Burning Love Rotten Thing To Say

It's not uncommon for a group to face scrutiny in their current endeavours based on their members' past projects. This is something that Toronto's Burning Love is all too aware of, as vocalist Chris Colohan's tenure in prolific bands like Cursed, The Swarm, and Left for Dead often act as a benchmark for his current work. While other musicians may get bogged down in trying to recreate past glory, Colohan and company have figured out how to effectively deal with such expectations: make the music you want to make, not what others expect. Rather than trying to emulate the darkness of Cursed or the unique ferocity of Left for Dead, Rotten Thing to Say provides an expert blend of rock n' roll rhythms, punk rock awareness, and hardcore aggression. The album begins with a harmonized guitar intro that indicates this will not be your average, by-the-numbers hardcore album. Starting with this type of melody may make some weary of what's to come, but the opening notes of the second track, "No Love," reassure the listener that Burning Love has not shied away from the rock n' roll-based hardcore that they became known for on 2010's Songs for Burning Lovers. From here, the album takes its darkest turn with "Karla," an intense retelling of the crimes of Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, two of Canada's most notorious serial killers. This song meshes driving rhythms, Colohan's signature scream, and profoundly dark subject matter to produce not only one of the album's stand-out tracks, but one of the most memorable hardcore songs of the year. The album continues to rage with tracks like "Superstitious Friend" and Made Out of Apes," both of which blend imposing mid-tempo hardcore riffs and driving rhythms with impressive precision. While Colohan has never been afraid to confront social and political issues in his lyrics, "Hateful Comforts" serves to remind just how effective a well-worded verbal attack can be. The track's unrelenting riffs only serve to bolster the anger evident in Colohan's diatribe against the collective amnesia of the bigotry and injustice that followed the WTC attacks on 9/11. Not wanting to waste any time, Burning Love follows up the album's angriest track with "Tremors," the record's fastest and most aggressive song, which clocks in at a mere 0:38 and refuses to let up for a single second. While the album does contain 14 tracks, there is little to no chance of listener fatigue, as later tracks like "Pig City I" and "Pig City II" demonstrate the band's ability to bring their punk tendencies to the forefront without sacrificing intensity. Finishing off the album is "Broken Glass," a uniquely personal and revealing song that provides a thinly-veiled explanation of the events surrounding the breakup of Cursed, Colohan's last and most well-known band. By blending staccato rhythms and harmonized leads with dark and gritty riffs, this closing track ends an outstanding album on the right note. Bottom Line: It is becoming increasingly obvious that Burning Love is a band that has truly come into its own. From start to finish, Rotten Thing to Say is a stand-out performance and deserving of the attention that it will no doubt receive.