In the world of punk-rock these days, there are enough sub-genres and micro-genres to make your head spin. Then there are bands who throw all of those labels in the trash can and craft straight-forward, hard-charging rock songs. This can easily be said for the Chicago, IL band All Eyes West and their outstanding new full-length, ‘Doomer’.
Comprised of accomplished veterans Jeff Dean (The Bomb, Noise By Numbers and punk rock supergroup Dead Ending) on guitar, Justin Miller (Witch Feet) on bass and vocals and Tucker Rule (Thursday, who played on the record but has since been replaced by Ronnie DiCola on a full-time basis) on drums, All Eyes West exudes a confidence and capability throughout the record that comes from experience. This presence the band has is also felt when they play live.
While the songs can fit under the category of straight up, no-frills rock, there is diversity on ‘Doomer’ that keeps it lively. Whether it is the immediacy of the record’s opener ‘Lie in Wait’ to the poppier sounds of ‘Make the Morning’ to the song ‘Panic Act’, which I can easily hear Samiam covering one day, the variety of sounds on the record held my attention, all while staying in the lane of being rock songs. Speaking of Samiam, it is also noteworthy to mention here that their guitarist Sergie did the cover artwork for ‘Doomer’.
Produced and engineered by the legendary J. Robbins of Jawbox, Burning Airlines and more, ‘Doomer’ contains enough fuzz and feedback to enhance the execution of the songs without overpowering them. One of the aspects of the recording and production of this record that I especially enjoyed are the crisp super-charged tones of Jeff Dean’s guitars. Another example of Robbins’ excellent work on the record is that there is rawness to each of the tracks on ‘Doomer’ while having each song sound clean and accessible. This balance throughout the record keeps it compelling and engaging.
Lyrically, a stand out on the record is third track called ‘West Thirteenth’, which is about the lies we tell ourselves and to the person we are in a relationship with as it’s in decline. What also makes the lyrics stand out on ‘Doomer’ is how they are delivered by Miller, he tests the upper portions of his range throughout the record, straining his voice to a near scream many times. This delivery, mixed with the softer vocal tones during appropriate portions of the songs and bolder tones in the poppier tunes, show the range of emotions throughout the lyrics and the record.
One question that I had about the record is how it ends. After the hypnotic closer ‘Vacant Seas’ fades out and a brief pause, there is the gentle sound of a piano playing over the sound of snoring. Yes, like “sawing wood/I can hear you from across the house while you sleep” snoring. While I thought that this is an odd way to end a record, it wasn’t enough to distract me or want me to give it any negative points. I’m just left with wondering why they put it on the record and I can only hope that there is a hilarious story behind the placement of it.
From beginning to end of this 12-track album, All Eyes West deliver songs that have the energy and emotion of ‘The Colour and The Shape’ era Foo Fighters while containing shades of punk-rock in the vein of Samiam and defy all genre labels. Simply put, it’s awesome.
JEFF TAKACS