What a time 2016 is to live in. Despite all the legends we have lost to the hands of fate, we have gained a wave of excellent young bands making ‘real’ rock music again. Think Inglorious, think Biters, Knock Out Kaine, the list goes on. Of course you always have a band who are very old school, yet says a lot about today’s society.
Enter Cambridge’s The Treatment, coming on to the scene in 2011, yet their latest release ‘Generation Me’ will put them on the map. Why? They make rock n’ roll cool again. The elaborate artwork of this album is commentary on the vanity and zombie-ish nature of the digital age that has swallowed hard rock’s heart and soul. They say never judge a book (or rock album) by it’s cover. Will this be reflected in the sound of The Treatment? let’s dive in…
Like a rocket launch, ‘Let It Begin’ takes off in bombastic fashion. This is the opening track all upcoming bands should be using as a measuring bar. It’s worth mentioning The Treatment have a new vocalist in Michael Emms and guitarist Tao grey, making them sound like a new band all together yet keeping the true spirit of the band. The influence of AC/DC is still there when it comes to echoes of Angus Young and Bon Scott in the band’s latest additions. ‘The Devil’ follows suit, even though the intro could be that of an early-90s alternative band, the big riff kicks in just in time. Like most of the five-piece’s contemporaries, energy is a key weapon in their arsenal. This is demonstrated in larger-than-life tracks such as ‘Cry Tough’ and ‘We Are Beautiful’. Each song is a classic in it’s own right.
Title track ‘Generation Me’ does not disappoint. The riff is not just reminiscent of Angus Young, but in parts Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Some may read it as a reflection of the album’s artwork, yet you can apply this song to anyone who seems to be all about ‘me, myself and I’ (not including De La Soul). It could also be a comment on all the disposable ‘movements’ in the past 15 or so year of music that has resulted in the ‘hard stuff’ making a grand comeback: nu-metal, emo, garage revival, new rave . What do they all have in common? They are defined by image, where as bands such as The Treatment are not and let the tunes do the talking. Keeping the spirit of rock n roll isn’t anything new but what sets The Treatment and a lot of today’s bands aside is you can take them seriously yet still have a lot of fun.
Although we take a breather through ballad ‘Backseat Heartbeat’. Although it’s a slower paced track, it’s unmistakably same band that has put the rest of this album together. In all this is a solid album to introduce the new line up and grab the attention of those who haven’t listened to The Treatment before. Proper hard rock for proper rock fans. Watch this space, this band are bound for big things.
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