Speedealer--Second Sight
Palm 2002
When it comes to music, evolution is not necessarily a bad thing. Many recoil at mention of the E-word--with its connotations of "overproduced" and "overthought" often signalling a complete loss of balls. Certainly, this is not the case for Speedealer. On the contrary, with Second Sight, Speedealer have evolved into an even more dangerous and sophisticated band than they were before. Fear not--it's a brutal sophistication.
While Speedealer were the picture of amphetamine-driven speed punk on their self-titled Spanish Fly Records debut of '96 (still called REO Speedealer, at that point), their sound has grown much more complex. Less straightforward that their earlier days, the Speedealer sound has grown to be multidimensional and harder to pinpoint. You could say Second Sight sounds like a cross between Funhouse by the Stooges and all eras of Metallica up through the Black Album. At the same time, there is something about this album that is reminiscent of latter day Jesus Lizard. Any way you describe it, one thing that hasn't changed is the fact Speedealer are a great band who rock. Their music is still very abrupt. This facet of their style is accentuated on Second Sight thanks to a very dry (non-reverb heavy) production, courtesy of former Metallica/Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted.
The in-your-face sound quality of Second Sight lends even more power to the uncompromising material contained within. Songs like "Days Of Red" make you think Speedealer found what Metallica couldn't during their Load-era. In the next breath, "Kill Myself Tonight" exposes the punk roots of Speedealer, sounding like a more pissed off mutation of Black Flag's classic "T.V. Party." Then there are songs like the closing track, "Machinations," with its heavy Among The Living-era Anthrax vibe. All told, there isn't a stinker in the bunch.
On Second Sight, Speedealer combine and mutate rawk, punk, and speed/thrash metal in a way that's guaranteed to kick your ass, from begining to end. Over the years, the general tempo of their material may have slowed, but they've somehow managed to become more fierce. This album is testament to the fact Speedealer are a band who just get better as they go along.
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