Massive Wagons – 'Triggered'

Of course, it’s not just hard work that’s getting the band attention. They’re good. In fact, they’re very good and getting better all the time. ‘Triggered’ isn’t a leap of light years from ‘House of Noise.’ What it does do is fine tune the engine adding texture and making the band sound bigger than they ever have.

The album kicks in hard. The opening track ‘Fuck the Haters,’ is a screaming statement of things. There’s a nice blues riff pushing the track along. They take aim at many of the social ills of modern society. Online trolls, bullies, culture warriors and anyone who thrives on the misery they can cause others are taken down.

These lyrical themes permeate through the whole album. Hopefully it won’t making the record a thing of its time that loses relevance as time moves further from the content of the lyrics. It shouldn’t, this is a great record and not a historical document in the way that Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Rising’ is for instance.

‘Fuck the Haters’ is a great choice as the lead track on the album and first song released to radio. It’s an attention grabber and sets out the overall feel of the album. Well crafted lyrics, witty and incisive and with a message hidden in the fun. There are plenty more songs on here that will land nicely on rock radio too. Classic hard rock is served up on the excellent ‘Generation Prime.’ Probably my favourite track on the album currently. It’s clever in the way shoots at the lifestyles we have chosen for ourselves, lampooning the world of privilege and indulgence we’ve reached in these times of promised with fulfilment with ‘next day delivery’. Musically there’s a hint of ska skank lurking in there. It gives the track a swagger and I love it. A bonus is the vocal addition of Skindred’s Benji Webbe on the track too. There’s no fear of the band shifting gears into the punk ska field but is shows how close the too genres sit. You could happily stick a track by The Interrupters after this and not feel you were creating a schism.

Online culture is hit again on ‘No Friend of Mine.’ This time the targets are all those ‘friends’ people collect like trophies but have little meaning in their lives. It’s another cracking track and the band really are sounding tighter than ever. They haven’t sat on their arse for ten years. They’ve grown in ability and the confidence that comes with getting better and understanding the work environment better.

I do worry that they could be seen as a joke band to some people. I suspect those people though have never really stopped and listened to the band. ‘A.S.S.H.O.LE.,’ sounds like the title to the type of song Justin Hawkins would preen and shriek his way through tittering like a pantomime dame each time the tile comes up. It’s not though. The humour hides a tale of what we have come to see as normal behaviour. Add it too a cracking tune that will have crowds punching the air and it’s going to carry its message a long way.

And if you just want to put your head down and rock out there’s ‘Gone are the days.’ Three minutes and forty-four seconds of pure riff rock.

‘Germ’ is another favourite of mine. Maybe because it sounds like one of my favourite bands The Wildhearts, but certainly because it’s a bloody good tune. It’s a raw rock track that still finds time to slip in some Byrds/Tom Petty style jangle guitars.

It’s this mix and match sense of experiment and fun that lifts Massive Wagons up. They’ve been the band to open doors for a lot of those that followed. Mason Hill. Scarlet Rebels, Those Damn Crows etc have followed along and made their own great rock records. I don’t know if Massive Wagons felt any pressure but there’s no doubt in my mind that with ‘Triggered’ they have made their best album to date.

I also need to highlight here the work of the production team. Chris Clancy and Colin Richardson have stayed on board from ‘House of Noise.’ They appear to have a connection to the band. Their work on this album captures the energy of the band.

So, take a bow; ‘Baz' Mills, Adam Thistlethwaite, Stevie Holl, 'Bowz' Bouskill and Alex Thistlethwaite. ‘Triggered’ delivers on all levels.