ALBUM REVIEW: Free Rein To Passions – The Dirty Nil
Ontario-based alternative rockers THE DIRTY NIL are back once again to show everyone else just how to rock. The Canadian trio’s brand new album Free Rein To Passions is class 101 in rock ‘n’ roll perfection.
Opening with Celebration, it’s clear THE DIRTY NIL mean business right from the get-go with the chugging guitar lines and the heavy percussion creating a thick texture. The vocals are great as they are low through the verses and more screamed in the chorus. It’s a great track with a head-banging rhythm. Going straight into recent single Nicer Guy, this track starts more like a pop-punk song. The guitar lines are a little more complex and really show off their talent. It’s got a simple structure but that doesn’t take anything away as it sounds perfect.
A couple of tracks on, Atomize Me slows down from the previous songs in the intro and although the guitar is heavy when it kicks in it keeps a slower feel. That doesn’t mean it can’t rock though as the vocals are still guttural and gentle all at once. The guitar takes more centre stage on this track as it plays more of an eventful chord progression with a heavy distorted effect. It’s a big track with more than a touch of theatrics.
Later, Blowing Up Things In The Woods is a great track that’s pretty much exactly what the song is about. No metaphors or double meanings, literally just blowing things up. Obviously to accompany a song like that the instrumentals are just as explosive in the chorus and a little calmer in the verses, almost like a fuse. The guitar riffs drive the song mostly and this is a perfect example of the reckless abandon which the band seemed to have employed all throughout Free Rein To Passions.
An anti-conformist track comes in the form of Stupid Jobs. It’s possibly the strongest point on the album, all about jobs and working for other people and not being ok with it. It’s full of punk sensibilities and rebellious anthemia. The guitars roar the whole way through, more or less creating a heavy tone that doesn’t really let up. This track is awesome.
The album’s title track is a chaotic and explosive number that really just opens the throttle. It’s a heavy song that juxtaposes with the final track The Light, The Void And Everything which is a great ending to a great album. It’s a little slower than the rest of the record but it’s still really heavy on the instrumentation employing heavy distortion. It’s more reflective and heartfelt and feels a lot more theatrical, almost like a rock opera.
Free Rein To Passions is a stunning album. That’s a fact. THE DIRTY NIL have really poured themselves into this record and the product is one of those albums that just feels right and that feels unique with so much character and personality that it’s clear to see how these guys have made a name for themselves and how they’ve kept building on that.
Rating 9/10
Free Rein To Passions is set for release on May 26th via Dine Alone.
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