The Undeniable

DELIVERS UP ROCK-HARD VERSATILITY
By Lauren Buches, Unlacing the Victorians

Move over, Three Days’ Grace. The Undeniable’s debut album, Rock-N-Roll Star, takes angst to a whole new level.

The brainchild of Robbert J. Bricker, Rock-N-Roll Star, is a concept album based on Bricker’s experiences while on tour as a rocker. But don’t let the title track’s pop and feel-good success words fool you. This album is eleven tracks of in-your face lyrics supported by an energetic beat à la The Cure and heavy guitar riffs throughout.

The Undeniable brings a motley mix of angst, sadism and poetics to produce a polished piece of rock music with the versatility of style shown by the likes of Marilyn Manson, all created by the genius of Bricker, The Undeniable’s sole band member.

Much of the album is about finding the true self lost within. The first heavy track of the album, “Evil Creep,” describes Bricker’s own struggles with family, friends and his religious beliefs before his rock musician days. Even though the tempo remains constant throughout, the vocals and the instruments themselves are a conflict in styles, outlining mental struggles the singer goes through as he tries to understand and accept himself . The mild, soothing reflections of the verses abruptly dissipate in juxtaposition with the aggressive refrain. This song was appropriately used in Sinister Minister Underground Theater’s mini-movie, “Burn That Closet Down,” where a minister is destroyed by the truth he has been trying to hide from.

Following true rock star ethos, themes of unconventional sex are recurring throughout the album. In songs such as, “Filthy Mind,” “Leather Punk Rock Boy,” and “The Girl,” descriptions of homosexuality and violent lovemaking created by jarring, addictive lyrics and gravelly vocals are highlighted by amped up guitar play.

Unlike many modern bands, The Undeniable experiments with range, tempo, and music styles, sometimes within the same song. “Wednesday’s at Maura’s” starts off as a calmer, slower track at a softer tone. As the song progresses from the verse to the refrain, the vocals and music increase in volume. The tempo picks up at the bridge, emphasizing the chitchat between Maura and the singer, and then smoothly transitions back to the slower beat of the beginning of the song.

“The Girl” is yet another song that displays this masterful ability to play with tempo—this time by slowing down at the bridge before picking back up into the song’s explosive description of dominating lesbianism.

“Gunther” was one of my personal favorite songs due to its Guns-N-Roses influence from the Use Your Illusion era. The opening whistling (think of the opening whistle from “Civil War”) with the tale of this bumpkin named, Gunther, was reminiscent of the hick-like tune of, “You Ain’t the First,” combined with its hilarious rendition of a stereotypical penis measuring put to the test, screams G'n'R to me. The focus of the percussion on the downbeats of the song is true musical personification of swaggering, allowing the listener to picture Gunther and his opponent “confidently stroking up their inflating egos.”

Although the slowest song on the alums is, “We Wait,” it is still marked with the heaviness of the other tracks. Its rock ballad/lullaby tempo gently cleanses the wounds caused by the uncompromising self-exploration, sex and sadism of the rest of the album.

For the punk/rock/pop fan who loves the energy of My Chemical Romance with the heavier sound of Disturbed and angst of Three Days’ Grace, with a sprinkling of classic influences from the likes of David Bowie and The Sex Pistols, The Undeniable is just what you’re looking for.

Rock-N-Roll Star serves up a milkshake of genres where one can distinctly taste the separate parts that went into making the whole. The abrasive lyrics and knock-out instrumentals will leave your ear drums black-n-blue and begging for more.