The Company Band – The Company Band

(Restricted Release, 2009)

The Company Band is a rock supergroup consisting of Neil Fallon (Clutch), James Rota (Fireball Ministry), Brad Davis (Fu Manchu), Jess Margera (CKY), and Dave Bone. That alone tells you that this album is going to be pretty darn good and it doesn’t disappoint.

Fallon, a small man with a big beard and even bigger voice, sounds aggressive and disgruntled on lead track Zombie Barricades, providing the listener with an immediate wake up call. From there the mix of Fallon’s harsh, Southern vocal styles contrast with the catchy guitar hooks and fun, Californian styles of Rota and Davis. It’s a Confusing World has a real Fu Manchu feel to it while Fallon’s lyrics about quantum mechanics for Djinn and Pentatonic are more akin to the intelligent wordplay used in many Clutch songs.

The band keeps the album fairly straightforward; Rota and Bone provide guitar licks during breaks in Fallon’s raspy vocals while Margera effortlessly bangs away on the drums throughout. Inline Six reads like a Hitcher type horror movie where a man is about to get rundown by a truck, although it all seems a little inevitable rather than scary. Who Else But Us? contains the line “defibrillate 'em, sedate 'em, then kick 'em in the nuts!” which is pretty much what this song does and CDANDW, standing for “chaos, destruction, and war” sums up how this track sounds.

Love Means Never Having to Say You’re Ugly is possibly the strongest track on the album with a lift in tempo and energy. This provides a final punch for the listener before the album concludes with a slow, grandstand finish on Lethe Waters where all members have a chance to show their wares.

It seems as if the star lineup just got together, jammed, and banged out these ten tracks for The Company Band, it sounds effortless and rocks from start to finish; heavy enough to thrash around to but also restrained enough to sit back and enjoy. Fans of any one of CKY, Fireball Ministry, or Fu Manchu would definitely get a kick out of this release with Fallon’s distinctive vocals making it most appealing to fans of Clutch. 

CKY – Carver City

(Roadrunner, 2009)

Carver City sadly wasn’t quite the hit it should have been for CKY. Released in 2009, it failed to capitalise on the success and support the band had with their first three albums due to problems within the band prior to its release and later Roadrunner Records who did a weak job promoting it.

That’s not to say the content is poor however; it still has that unmistakable CKY sound with longtime band members Deron Miller (vocals), Chad I Ginsburg (guitar), and Jess Magera (drums) joined by Matt Deis on bass. Deis left soon after and was replaced by Matt “Matty J” Jaunitis.

Opening track Hellions On Parade continues the legacy of 96 Bitter Beings and Escape From Hellview, transporting the listener straight into a horror movie. Listening on, it becomes clear that this is more than just a collection of tunes stuck together but rather a concept album revolving around the dark happenings of the seemingly pleasant Carver City. …And She Never Returned tells of the disappearance of a girl, while Boardwalk Body (which Miller based on a real life experience of his) later follows up on this with the discovery of a body by the water.

Songs such as Rats In The Infirmary and A#1 Roller Rager still have the usual CKY skater/stoner rock sound but the vocals and subject matter give the impression of a dark spirit watching and lurking within Carver City. Karmaworks and the instrumental Fisherman’s Wharf are especially haunting, Old Carver’s Bones is straight up terrifying, and The Era Of An End sees them once again include a slower, hold up your lighter type song near the end of an album; it can hold its own next to Don’t Hold Your Breath but won’t be knocking Close Yet Far off their setlist.

This could quite possibly be the best release from CKY; it still has that distinctive sound with abundant use of moog synth with the ongoing storyline giving it an intelligent edge encouraging the listener to hear the whole album. The one letdown is the cheesy video (above) for A#1 Roller Rager.