Monster Truck - True Rockers

by Adrian Huggins

published: 3 / 11 / 2018

Label: Provogue
Format: CD

Third album from Canadian rockers Monster Truck which proves to be a master class in how to make commercially appealing hard rock

Review

‘True Rockers’ is the third studio album by Canadian rockers Monster Truck, and it is both a real step up and a step in the direction of the big time. It is the most commercial rock album I have heard in years. It has it all - teenage anthems in ‘Young City Hearts’ and ‘Being Cool is Over’, the working man’s blues rock song ‘Devil Don’t Care’, the slower and more sentimental ‘Undone’ and ‘The Howlin’, and all-out rock anthems like ‘Evolution’, (which I have already heard on the radio three times this week). Monster Truck also get bonus rock points for featuring metal legend Dee Snider of Twisted Sister on the opening track, ‘True Rocker’. The band, who consist of Jon Harvey (bass/lead vocals), Jeremy Widerman (guitar/vocals), Brandon Bliss (organ/vocals) and Steve Kiely (drums/vocals), have been growing and growing in the hard rock scene since they began in 2009. They’ve gone from strength to strength having toured with the likes of Vista Chino, Alice in Chains, Blackstone Cherry and Nickelback and have also blown themselves wide open to a whole new North American audience by having several of their songs featured heavily (mainly ‘Enforcer’) on NHL (that’s the top North American Ice Hockey league) coverage. To provide some context for British people that’s like having your songs on 'Match of the Day' and played at Premier League games every week. The point of all this is that this a band that are big and getting bigger. And ‘True Rockers’ will only further this progression. This is a seriously commercially sounding rock album. If this is the sort of thing you do not like, then I wouldn’t touch this album with a goddamned barge pole (or a very long hockey stick if you’re Canadian). That is, however, the beauty of a band like Monster Truck. They are a proper big rock band. They sound like it, they play like it and they are it. They know what they are and they’re doing it and good for them. It’s good time, fun, hard rocking music that is a joy if you are into that sort of thing. The production on ‘True Rockers’ is a progression from their last album, ‘Sittin’ Heavy’, and it does feel like there is a slight shift towards a more radio-friendly feel with the guitars turned down slightly and the organs turned up to be more prominent while every song has a big, massive beast of a chorus. They haven’t altered their style but it is certainly a more polished and produced effort. There are some fantastic riffs on show. ‘Denim Dagger’, ‘Thundertruck’ for example and ‘Devil Don’t Care’ wouldn’t sound out of place on a ZZ Top album. If big anthems are your thing, you’ll probably already have heard of this band and you will definitely enjoy this album.

Track Listing:-

1 True Rocker (feat. Dee Snider)
2 Thundertruck
3 Evolution
4 Devil Don't Care
5 Being Cool Is Over
6 Young City Hearts
7 Undone
8 In My Own World
9 Denim Danger
10 Hurricane
11 The Howlin