Devils Brigade (album)
Encyclopedia
Devils Brigade is the eponym
ous debut album by the rock
band Devils Brigade, a side project by Matt Freeman
of Rancid
. The band, which performs a mix of punk rock
and psychobilly
, features Freeman on lead vocals
and double bass
in contrast to the backing vocals and electric bass guitar
he typically performs in Rancid. Originally envisioned as a concept album
about the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
, Devils Brigade was co-written by Freeman and his longtime bandmate Tim Armstrong
, who also played guitar on the album and served as record producer
alongside Ryan Foltz
. The album also features X drummer DJ Bonebrake
and contributions from Rancid's Lars Frederiksen
, and was released August 31, 2010 through Armstrong's label Hellcat Records
.
Give 'Em the Boot III
. He continued to work on Devils Brigade in between tours supporting Rancid's 2003 album Indestructible, releasing two single
s in 2003 and 2005.
Following tours in support of Rancid's 2009 album Let the Dominoes Fall
, Freeman revived Devils Brigade to record a full-length album. It was originally envisioned as a concept album
based on an idea of Armstrong's for a musical about the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
, titled Half Way to Hell Club after the informal fraternity of nineteen steelworkers who were caught by safety netting strung below the construction site, saving them from what would have otherwise been fatal falls into the bay below. "We grew up in the East Bay
looking at that bridge and it has always been a part of our lives", said Freeman. Armstrong co-wrote the album with Freeman, with six of the twelve tracks—including "Bridge of Gold" and "Half Way to Hell"—originating from the Golden Gate Bridge concept while the remaining six—including "Ride Harley" and "Vampire Girl"—were new recordings of tracks from the first Devils Brigade demo
.
Devils Brigade was recorded in early 2010 at Sunset Lodge in Hollywood and Ceveland Audio in Cleveland, with additional recording conducted at Rancid's Bloodclot studio. It was produced
by Armstrong, who also played guitar on the album and sang lead vocals on "Gentleman of the Road", and by Ryan Foltz
who also played mandolin
. Drums were played by DJ Bonebrake
of X and The Knitters
, who had previously played with Freeman in Auntie Christ
. "It was a great vibe in the studio," said Freeman, "The record has a real live and loose vibe. Loose in a good way. Tim's guitar style blended really well with DJ and everything clicked very quickly." Lars Frederiksen
of Rancid also contributed to two tracks: "Darlene", which he co-wrote, and "Bridge of Gold", on which he, Armstrong, and Freeman took turns singing the verses.
Devils Brigade was released August 31, 2010 through Armstrong's Hellcat Records label. The band supported the album with a tour of the United States opening for Street Dogs
through October 2010.
-esque growl", the surf rock
influences on "Ride Harley", and the bluegrass
approach to "Bridge of Gold". He concluded that the album was "a far cry from the straightforward modern-day punk of Rancid, but open-minded fans of the band may find the tumbleweed twist from the norm enticing." Chris Parker of Alternative Press remarked that Freeman "sounds refreshed by the change of scenery", and that though the album at times borders on Rancid's punk rock sound, "Freeman takes advantage of the novelty to explore new territory, from rambunctious barrelhouse folk-punk
('Bridge of Gold') to throttling psychobilly
('Vampire Girl'), jazzy folk-swing ('Gentleman of the Road'), infectious old-school rock rave-ups ('Protest Song'), and reverb
-drenched numbers biting Ennio Morricone
('Ride Harley'). While Freeman's gruff vocal delivery is still very punk rock, the overwhelming success of these dozen tracks is due to the effortless eclecticism of their gritty underclass portraits."
Criticism of the album has focused primarily on its lyrics. Joe Pelone of Punknews.org
complained that the themes of working-class problems and motorcycles were very niche
and had replaced the band's earlier, more kitsch
y material; he cited "Vampire Girl" as one of the band's best tracks while remarking that "sadly, the other songs aren't as gleefully macabre". He described the album's lyrics as being "pretty in keeping with the late-period Rancid of Let the Dominoes Fall, just with fewer references to being from the East Bay
or whatever and more instances of roots rock
", and complained that "some of the songs are pretty terrible—'Protest Song' is got-damn cheesy with its celebration of' the working man / the blue collar man / he’s a fighting man' ; the lyrics are wanting." He noted, however, that "the music still serves up delicious slices of psychobilly" and that "this record sounds like a group of friends having fun." Adam Steel of Eye Weekly
gave Devils Brigade a negative review, saying that "Guitarist Armstrong, who seems to join and/or invent a new group every year, is just as disappointing in Brigade as his venture into Crazy Town
–territory with the Transplants". He criticized the album's "lack of consistency and overly complicated sounds" as well as Freeman's singing, remarking that "The disc never strays far from loud, crunchy guitars, but the vocals are too similar to that signature Rancid yell-scream delivery, sounding comical on tracks that feature banjo and upright bass".
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous debut album by the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Devils Brigade, a side project by Matt Freeman
Matt Freeman
Matthew "McCall" Freeman is an American musician. He is best known for his bass guitar work with the punk rock bands Operation Ivy, Rancid and as the frontman of Devil's Brigade.-Playing style:...
of Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
. The band, which performs a mix of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
, features Freeman on lead vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
in contrast to the backing vocals and electric bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
he typically performs in Rancid. Originally envisioned as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, Devils Brigade was co-written by Freeman and his longtime bandmate Tim Armstrong
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
, who also played guitar on the album and served as record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
alongside Ryan Foltz
Ryan Foltz
Ryan Foltz is an American producer, audio engineer and musician from Cleveland, Ohio. A former member of Dropkick Murphys and Motel Blonde , Foltz has also played tin whistle, trumpet, , in renowned The Pogues cover band, for ten years...
. The album also features X drummer DJ Bonebrake
DJ Bonebrake
Donald J. "DJ" Bonebrake is an American musician from California who first emerged as the drummer of the punk rock band Eyes...
and contributions from Rancid's Lars Frederiksen
Lars Frederiksen
Lars Erik Frederiksen is an American guitarist and vocalist, most notably for the punk rock band Rancid, and as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991...
, and was released August 31, 2010 through Armstrong's label Hellcat Records
Hellcat Records
Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an off-shoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz carp Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, the latter of whom is generally responsible for...
.
Background and recording
Freeman started Devils Brigade in 2000 when he and Armstrong began writing songs together during breaks between Rancid tours. Backed by Armstrong on guitar and Rancid drummer Brett Reed, he debuted the project in 2002 with the song "Vampire Girl" on the compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Give 'Em the Boot III
Give 'Em the Boot III
Give 'Em the Boot III is the third compilation album in the Give 'Em the Boot series, released in 2002 .- Track listing :#"Sick of It All" - The Distillers#"The Legend of Finn MacCumhail" - Dropkick Murphys#"Die Alone" - U.S...
. He continued to work on Devils Brigade in between tours supporting Rancid's 2003 album Indestructible, releasing two single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s in 2003 and 2005.
Following tours in support of Rancid's 2009 album Let the Dominoes Fall
Let the Dominoes Fall
Let the Dominoes Fall is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Rancid. It was released on June 2, 2009 through Hellcat Records...
, Freeman revived Devils Brigade to record a full-length album. It was originally envisioned as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
based on an idea of Armstrong's for a musical about the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, titled Half Way to Hell Club after the informal fraternity of nineteen steelworkers who were caught by safety netting strung below the construction site, saving them from what would have otherwise been fatal falls into the bay below. "We grew up in the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
looking at that bridge and it has always been a part of our lives", said Freeman. Armstrong co-wrote the album with Freeman, with six of the twelve tracks—including "Bridge of Gold" and "Half Way to Hell"—originating from the Golden Gate Bridge concept while the remaining six—including "Ride Harley" and "Vampire Girl"—were new recordings of tracks from the first Devils Brigade demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
.
Devils Brigade was recorded in early 2010 at Sunset Lodge in Hollywood and Ceveland Audio in Cleveland, with additional recording conducted at Rancid's Bloodclot studio. It was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Armstrong, who also played guitar on the album and sang lead vocals on "Gentleman of the Road", and by Ryan Foltz
Ryan Foltz
Ryan Foltz is an American producer, audio engineer and musician from Cleveland, Ohio. A former member of Dropkick Murphys and Motel Blonde , Foltz has also played tin whistle, trumpet, , in renowned The Pogues cover band, for ten years...
who also played mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
. Drums were played by DJ Bonebrake
DJ Bonebrake
Donald J. "DJ" Bonebrake is an American musician from California who first emerged as the drummer of the punk rock band Eyes...
of X and The Knitters
The Knitters
The Knitters are a Los Angeles-based band who play country, rockabilly and folk music. At the time of their formation they were pioneers of country punk, cowpunk or folk punk, the genre which gradually evolved into alternative country...
, who had previously played with Freeman in Auntie Christ
Auntie Christ
Auntie Christ is a late-1990s punk rock band, containing Exene Cervenka and D.J. Bonebrake of the band X and Matt Freeman of the band Rancid.- Albums :* Life Could Be A Dream...
. "It was a great vibe in the studio," said Freeman, "The record has a real live and loose vibe. Loose in a good way. Tim's guitar style blended really well with DJ and everything clicked very quickly." Lars Frederiksen
Lars Frederiksen
Lars Erik Frederiksen is an American guitarist and vocalist, most notably for the punk rock band Rancid, and as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991...
of Rancid also contributed to two tracks: "Darlene", which he co-wrote, and "Bridge of Gold", on which he, Armstrong, and Freeman took turns singing the verses.
Devils Brigade was released August 31, 2010 through Armstrong's Hellcat Records label. The band supported the album with a tour of the United States opening for Street Dogs
Street Dogs
Street Dogs are a punk rock band originally from Boston, Massachusetts. The band's current line-up includes Mike McColgan, former lead singer of Dropkick Murphys, Johnny Rioux, Marcus Hollar, Tobe Bean III and Paul Rucker.-History:...
through October 2010.
Reception
Critics' reviews of Devils Brigade have generally praised its mix of musical styles while criticizing its working-class lyrical themes. Jason Lymangrover of Allmusic noted Freeman's "gruff Gene SimmonsGene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
-esque growl", the surf rock
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
influences on "Ride Harley", and the bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
approach to "Bridge of Gold". He concluded that the album was "a far cry from the straightforward modern-day punk of Rancid, but open-minded fans of the band may find the tumbleweed twist from the norm enticing." Chris Parker of Alternative Press remarked that Freeman "sounds refreshed by the change of scenery", and that though the album at times borders on Rancid's punk rock sound, "Freeman takes advantage of the novelty to explore new territory, from rambunctious barrelhouse folk-punk
Folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
('Bridge of Gold') to throttling psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
('Vampire Girl'), jazzy folk-swing ('Gentleman of the Road'), infectious old-school rock rave-ups ('Protest Song'), and reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
-drenched numbers biting Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
('Ride Harley'). While Freeman's gruff vocal delivery is still very punk rock, the overwhelming success of these dozen tracks is due to the effortless eclecticism of their gritty underclass portraits."
Criticism of the album has focused primarily on its lyrics. Joe Pelone of Punknews.org
Punknews.org
Punknews.org is a website founded by Aubin Paul which launched in 1999. The website publishes music news and album reviews relating to punk rock, hardcore punk, ska, indie rock and heavy metal...
complained that the themes of working-class problems and motorcycles were very niche
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
and had replaced the band's earlier, more kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
y material; he cited "Vampire Girl" as one of the band's best tracks while remarking that "sadly, the other songs aren't as gleefully macabre". He described the album's lyrics as being "pretty in keeping with the late-period Rancid of Let the Dominoes Fall, just with fewer references to being from the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
or whatever and more instances of roots rock
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
", and complained that "some of the songs are pretty terrible—'Protest Song' is got-damn cheesy with its celebration of
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
gave Devils Brigade a negative review, saying that "Guitarist Armstrong, who seems to join and/or invent a new group every year, is just as disappointing in Brigade as his venture into Crazy Town
Crazy Town
Crazy Town is a rap rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. The band is best known for their 2001 single, "Butterfly", which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart...
–territory with the Transplants". He criticized the album's "lack of consistency and overly complicated sounds" as well as Freeman's singing, remarking that "The disc never strays far from loud, crunchy guitars, but the vocals are too similar to that signature Rancid yell-scream delivery, sounding comical on tracks that feature banjo and upright bass".
Track listing
Personnel
- Matt FreemanMatt FreemanMatthew "McCall" Freeman is an American musician. He is best known for his bass guitar work with the punk rock bands Operation Ivy, Rancid and as the frontman of Devil's Brigade.-Playing style:...
– double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, lead and backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, back cover photo - Tim ArmstrongTim ArmstrongTimothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
– guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Bridge of Gold" and "Gentleman of the Road", producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - DJ BonebrakeDJ BonebrakeDonald J. "DJ" Bonebrake is an American musician from California who first emerged as the drummer of the punk rock band Eyes...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vibraslapVibraslapA vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire connecting a wood ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes the ball... - Lars FrederiksenLars FrederiksenLars Erik Frederiksen is an American guitarist and vocalist, most notably for the punk rock band Rancid, and as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991...
– lead vocals on "Bridge of Gold" - Ryan FoltzRyan FoltzRyan Foltz is an American producer, audio engineer and musician from Cleveland, Ohio. A former member of Dropkick Murphys and Motel Blonde , Foltz has also played tin whistle, trumpet, , in renowned The Pogues cover band, for ten years...
– producer, recording engineer, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Professor Fonz – banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
- Justin Gorski – keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s - Chris Rakestraw – additional engineer
- Kevin Bivona – additional engineer
- John Morrical – additional engineer
- Rob Naples – cover photo
- Nick Pritchard – art and design