MEAT MALLET

Great Heavy Prog punk music with really weird lyrics. Is Hayley McDonnell what Deborah Harry, Lydia Lunch, Siouxsie, or even Elizabeth Fraser would have sound like had they appeared in the 2020s?

1. "This One's Just a Warning" (4:47) great, throbbing prog grunge metal with occasional vocal contributions of the title phrase and a bit more. (8.75/10)

2. "You've Got a Billion and I've Got a Half" (3:53) spacious and portentous, it takes this one 80 seconds to show itself. Great melodies in the vocal. What a hilarious lyric! Could almost have come off of a UT GRET or PINGVINORKESTERN album. (8.75/10)

3. "Hong Kong" (2:29) opens with some Godzilla-like music plodding along over which multiple vocal tracks sing. At 0:55 we switch into an almost 4 A.D. sound. (4.25/5)

4. "I'm a Lasagne" (4:05) more insanely funny/clever lyrics (a play on 10CC's "Life is a Minestrone"?) over a heavier 4 A.D. montage. A little too disjointed to warrant high praise. (8.5/10)

5. "Bring a Bun" (2:10) acoustic guitar strumming and Mellotron beneath Hayley's diaphonously heart-wrenching vocal. My second top three song. (4.5/5)

6. "Someone's After My Malted Milk" (4:20) sounds like a punky rendition of a PURE REASON REVOLUTION song. More humorous lyrics delivered ? beautifully. (8.75/10)

7. "Space8" (3:54) Is this what Siouxsie or Elizabeth Fraser would have sounded like in the 2020s? Incredible song. My favorite song on the album. Simple must be heard. (10/10)

8. "Heavy Hit" (2:17) simple heavy punk music with some really clever phrases in the lyrics. (4.5/5)

9. "Rose Train" (4:00) heavy punk pop in the vein of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Lydia Lunch, or even Lena Lovich. Great vocal performance of amazing lyrics. (8.75/10)

10. "Let It Run" (3:06) Interesting musical hodge podge with more interesting lyrics delivered impeccably by Hayley. (8.5/10)

11. "Mr C's Two Thousand and Threes" (3:37) Hayley exhibits some vocal qualities here making her almost sound like Paula Cole, Tracy Thorn, and Alanis Morissette in an Elisabeth Fraser style (an effect that is helped by the Robin Guthrie-like music. At 1:48 when the music goes broad-spectrum heavy metal it sounds like NIGHTWISH and Black Sabbath. (8.75/10)

12. "Turkey 2000s" (4:13) One of the better songs, musically, with another superlative vocal performance of some amazing lyrics. My final top three song. (9.75/10)

Total Time 42:51

A lot of the songs here would be rated higher if based solely on singer Hayley McDonnell's delivery of the lyrics. It's the sometime simplistic music that sometimes weighs the songs down--or diminishes their overall effect. At the same time, like my colleague, The Frogressive Sock, I will find time to listen to this album for a long time to come. I am certain that the vocals and lyrics alone will continue to reveal majestic moments for years.

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition of modern prog to any music lover's album collection. Entertaining and very refreshing.