Torture Tunes
The Treatment
Generation Me
According to their Facebook page, The Treatment are five guys from the UK (Cambridge) who love to play rock ’n’ roll, drink beer and fuck shit up. In all honesty, that sounds like a punk rock statement if I ever heard one, only this band doesn’t play punk. Instead, they prescribe to the classic rock grooves of bands like AC DC, Boston and the Tygers of Pan Tang.
The energy, exuberance and firepower of this band are evident in the very first song on their third release – Generation Me. Armed with a new singer (Mitchel Emms) and new guitarist (Tao Grey) to boot; The Treatment aim to broaden their sound going forward. This is surely a huge step according to the band and the current plan is to tour heavily throughout 2016/17 in support of this new release.
The opening salvo comes in the form of “Let it Begin” and its chock full of hard rock swagger, catchy lyrics and some razor sharp AC DC inspired riffing. They follow this up with the heavy hitter “The Devil” and it’s another nod to early 80’s AC DC. The riffs are so meaty and the sing-along-chorus will have the audience up from their seats in no time at all.
The next few songs give vocalist Emms a chance to shine; belting out some passionate throat skills to the throbbing beat. His rapid fire delivery on “Tell Us the Truth” is a thing of beauty and he simply nails it with the title track “Generation Me”. I particularly enjoy his handling of the vocals, often finding that high octave range; dipping into crooner mode from time working full for this template. His style differs greatly from previous vocalist Matt Jones, so the band’s profile should be raised immediately going forward.
When we get to “Backseat Heartbeat” I immediately draw comparison to Boston with some sweet melodies to get you swooning to the harmonious sounds the song has to offer. Then “Cry Tough” sets if off for me straight away as the strongest cut on this release; terse guitars and catchy lyrics to match! The furious energy is carried into “We are Beautiful” and “I Know She Knows” continues that trend of catchy lyrics and definitely sing-along material at their live shows.
The Treatment
Generation Me
(Frontiers)
Written by: Kenneth Gallant
8 out of 10
The 9th track “Bloodsucker” provides the heaviest moments, while relying on that high energy rock driven template; mashing it together with meaty riffs and gnarly vocals. The heavy riffing continues into “Better Think Again”, while Emms’ vocals glide along like butter melting into your mashed potatoes. His soulful approach gives this number a Beatlesque feel and dare I say Thom Yorke (Radio Head) like swoons. Then we end on a poppy note with a fairly safe number in “Light the Sun”; leaving this listener most satisfied.
Overall though, The Treatment pushes for bigger moments on this release and it’s safe to say they intend to deliver this renewed interest in their core sound on the live shows. I do hope they hit North American shores soon, so I can take in some good rock ‘n’ roll and watch them fuck shit up on stage.
Kenneth Gallant, HMS
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