### Trouble: The distortion field

#### 12/08/13 || gk

Formed in 1979, Trouble has always been a bit of a secret in the doom metal genre. Their early albums were classic heavy metal with some doom elements but then the band moved towards a more hard rock/ psychedelic feel in the 90s. Their last album, 2007s “Simple mind condition” was a solid collection of songs but soon after, the line up seemed to implode and while a couple of vocalists were drafted, it looked like the band had finally given up.

“The distortion field”, Trouble’s eighth album came as a surprise. Guitarists Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin are the only 2 original members left and Kyle Thomas (ex-Exhorder) was drafted in on vocals to fill the mighty big shoes of Eric Wagner.

So how does “The distortion field” hold up to the band’s legacy? Unfortunately, once the initial euphoria of a new Trouble album has passed, it doesn’t. Things start well though. Opener “When the storm comes down” is a pretty kickass song with shades of “The tempter” in its riffing and Thomas sounds great. After this though, much of this album is inconsistent. The problems start with “One Life” which tries to go for a doomy ballad like feel but sounds like a left over from the “Simple mind condition” sessions. “Have I told you” is a sort of mainstream heavy rock song that has more in common with Creed or Nickleback than anything Trouble has done in the past. “Hunters of doom” is the best song on the album and breaks up the banality of the mid-portion of the album with some crushing riffs and Thomas is on the money here. “Glass of lies” is all 70s hard rock and pretty good but “Butterflies” shows up Thomas’ limitation as a vocalist particularly in the chorus. The album ends with “Your reflection” and is sort of a throwaway add-on that really doesn’t do much.

Franklin and Wartell need to shoulder much of the blame here. Most of these songs are just a bit uninspired. While their guitar playing is great on its own, the songwriting gets a bit dull. Thomas sounds good for the most part but if you’re a long-time fan of the band you can’t help thinking what Wagner would have done on these songs. Also, Thomas sounded a lot better on Alabama Thunderpussy’s “Open fire” album than he does here. Another let down is the mostly pedestrian drumming of Mark Lira.

So overall, a couple of great songs, a couple of real stinkers and a lot of middling ho-hum songs that don’t really do anything at all. If you’re a Trouble fan there’s a good chance you’ll be disappointed with this effort. For me, this is the weakest album in the band’s discography.

“The distortion field” has probably already been heard by the long time Trouble fan and no one else is going to give a damn anyway. If you’ve never heard the band then start with “Psalm 9” and “Manic frustration”. “The distortion field” is a mostly uninspired collection of songs and a real disappointment for 2013.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Escapi Music
- Website: Trouble Facebook
- Band
- Kyle Thomas: vocals
- Bruce Franklin: guitars, bass
- Rick Wartell: guitars, bass
- Michael Drew: bass
- Mark Lira: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. When the Sky Comes Down
- 02. Paranoid Conspiracy
- 03. The Broken Has Spoken
- 04. Sink or Swim
- 05. One Life
- 06. Have I Told You
- 07. Hunters of Doom
- 08. Glass of Lies
- 09. Butterflies
- 10. Sucker
- 11. The Greying Chill of Autumn
- 12. Bleeding Alone
- 13. Your Reflection