IN REVIEW: Cancer Bats - "Psychic Jailbreak"

It isn't normally noteworthy that a new Cancer Bats album sounds a lot like their previous releases. After all, the band's melodic, motivational hardcore has remained more or less their calling card since their inception, and they've been reliably peddling the same admittedly tasty meal (with an exploration level that's admirable but tempered) for nearly two decades now. With their seventh album, then, it's not surprising to hear them waving that same trusty flag; what is surprising is that they've mostly succeeded in picking up where they left off after losing founding guitarist Scott Middleton. On Psychic Jailbreak, guitars were provided by bassist Jaye R. Schwarzer in a dual role, whose riffage is a reasonable facsimile even though it isn't quite as wide-ranging in its finesse or brutality.

So then, what else is there to discuss when the remaining components are basically the same and the resultant album is pretty much exactly what you would have expected? Well, I can dig a little deeper into the elements that do slightly differ, like the propulsive Refused feel I got from opening track Radiate, or the continued and unabashed Black Sabbath worship (from a band that regularly performs as Bat Sabbath in full-on tribute mode) of Hammering On, which also features accompanying vocal from Brooklyn Doran to add to the broadened horizons. Then, there's Keep On Breathin, which packs a bouncy groove that will remind some listeners of a supercharged and way shoutier version of Clutch. There's also late album highlight Rollin Threes, a dark and stormy rager that acts as a showcase for drummer Mike Peters, who leaves nothing in his entire kit undrummed.

The majority of Psychic Jailbreak, though, is made up of the kind of dependable, hard charging home cookin' that hardcore fans (pun most definitely intended) have come to Cancer Bats for all this time and ensures minimal chatter about how much they've changed. The Hoof, Lonely Bong, Friday Night, Shadow of Mercury and Pressure Mind are tailor made to slip into set lists packed with past hits. The closing title track even ratchets up the Sabbath vibes (by which I mean, Children of the Grave) as Liam Cormier shrieks his way through the verses into a deeper growl on its chorus; it already feels like the kind of exclamation point that can get stretched out with a couple of minutes of jamming that crushing ending riff and/or given a big rock ending in the live setting, which should go without saying is where any Cancer Bats song finds its true purpose.

All told, Cancer Bats continue to successfully navigate the thin line between stagnation and alienation with Psychic Jailbreak, offering just enough evolution to keep their base intact while serving up a heaping helping of the riffs and PMA that keep us coming back for more.

April 15, 2022 • Batskull/New Damage

Highlights Radiate • Hammering On • Rollin Threes

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