ALBUM REVIEW: One Way Trip – Worshipper
Hailing from the great Massachusetts city of Boston and with a penchant for the darker arts and stories of their New England homeland, WORSHIPPER have struck a balance between catchy hard rock and old school heavy metal with an injection of acidic psychedelia. Since their formation in 2014, the Bostonian quartet of John Brookhouse (vocals, guitar), Dave Jarvis (drums), Bob Maloney (bassist, backing vocals) and Alejandro Necochea (guitar) knew they had to do something different and that is something they have certainly achieved. Known for their eerie melodies, catchy hooks and impactful riffs, WORSHIPPER have something of THE CURE about them – intensely gothic and not afraid to experiment for maximum emotional impact.
One Way Trip is the band’s third album and it is imbued with the sadness of personal loss – which three of the band’s members experienced during the making of the album – and the often haunting New England landscape. Like much of WORSHIPPER’s work, they don’t shy away from the hardest emotions; pain, love, grief, melancholy amongst others can be found throughout their discography, and One Way Trip is no different. On the surface you’d think that this is an album about narcotics but it goes way deeper than that. There are several concepts at play here and the sequential nature of the album is heavily influenced by the film Jacob’s Ladder, in which a Vietnam veteran is plagued by flashbacks and monstrous visions. This concept is loosely circular on the album, as you can feel the mental struggle on each track.
In comparison to the band’s previous album, 2019’s Light In The Wire – which had a more traditional theme of romantic loss – One Way Trip has the band looking into the significantly darker parts of the human psyche in a way that feels like emotional catharsis for the band members. Given that this is the first album the band have released post-pandemic, alongside the losses they have experienced, this is an intensely emotional album. Without question, we can all relate to some of the topics covered on this album, and in that regard WORSHIPPER leave an indelible mark on you as you face those difficult emotions.
Musically, the album has riffs, hooks and melodies coming at you from all angles. This is a band that knows how to write a memorable song. There is also a nostalgic quality to One Way Trip, as it harks back to the darker metal bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and songs like Acid Burns and Only Alive could easily have appeared on a The Lost Boys-esque movie. WORSHIPPER know how to utilise nuance and dynamics, which means that each song has an epic quality to it and the album as a whole is loaded with impactful moments. The whole band are on the top of their game on One Way Trip; from the dual guitar interplay between Brookhouse and Necochea, to the strong, locked in rhythm section of Jarvis and Maloney, WORSHIPPER deliver a cohesive and tight performance alongside their catchy songwriting that leaves you hooked and wanting more.
The album opens up with Heroic Dose, a beefy, riff filled track with some wonderfully crafted rock melodies. It harks back to those halcyon days where metal was on top of the world in the late 1980s and WORSHIPPER also get straight into the meat and bones of their conceptual lyrics, with a strong emotional impact from the start. This is followed by Keep This, which is an anthemic track that embodies hard rock in all its glory; huge choruses and quiet verses give the song a wonderful dynamism that keeps you enthralled throughout. Windowpane slows down the energy and you hear the full emotional impact of Brookhouse’s vocals and Maloney’s harmonies – this is one of the band’s strong points and they execute it beautifully on this ballad-esque track. Only Alive closes the first half of the album with a 1980s style ALTER BRIDGE riff accompanied by soaring vocal melodies and thunderous choruses.
Acid Burns is a stand out track that opens the second half of the album. It’s uptempo and energetic, yet the stand out part of the song is when Brookhouse and Maloney harmonise on the “The acid burns” line in the chorus – a certifiable ear worm. James Motel and The Spell follow the same formula of Acid Burns with colossal hard rock riffs and infectious vocal melodies to complete a trilogy of infectiously catchy tracks. Onward closes the album in a slower manner; imbued with melancholy it is a hard rock ballad that concludes an emotionally heavy and well written album.
WORSHIPPER have pushed themselves to new heights with this album. One Way Trip is a well written and brilliantly put together record that harks back to metal’s heyday but has a powerful modern punch.
Rating: 8/10
One Way Trip is set for release on July 19th via Magnetic Eye Records.
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