Triggerfinger. Mascot Label Group. 17 Aug 2017
It’s an interesting experience to consider yourself a bit of a musical aficionado, keeping up to date with the best that rock has to offer, and then discover an exciting new band, only to discover that said band has actually been around for almost 20 years! That’s what happened to me with Belgian act Triggerfinger. I came across them on YouTube, excited to have found what I thought to be a new group of grungey troubadours peddling a fresh album Colossus, and as I did a bit of digging to see what other albums they had, expecting to see maybe one or two more, I found that they’d been around since the ’90s and had six long players under their belts!
I’ve got some catching up to do!
So, putting my lack of familiarity to the side, why was I so excited about hearing these guys? Well, their music is simply fantastic! They remind me of a rawer version of Queens Of The Stone Age, kind of more Kyuss but less fuzzy, and a bit more Zeppelin-esque balls, with Physical Graffiti-era complexity. The music is pure rock, with a raw vintage sound, but with a certain sincerity, not in a try-hard wanna-be-folk-band way. Guitars are fuzzy and psychedelic, with driving bass and drums, interludes of keys and other sounds rounding out the musical journey.
The vocals are quite clean over the raw rock, in a similar way to Queens vocalist Josh Homme, but singer Ruben Block has a unique voice that sits more somewhere between Jack White and Muse’s Matt Bellamy. It’s a great balance, helping the music sound fresh and familiar at the same time. The Belgian trio have got their sound just right, such that it feels bigger than just a trio, and they know how to balance light and shade across the album.
The rock heart is always apparent, but there are some great interludes and changes of pace too. The first single Flesh Tight is an obvious winner, while title-track opener Colossus sets the scene for the rest of the album. My only criticism of the collection is that it’s kind of short, spanning just over 30 minutes - but it’s such a great half-hour nonetheless!
Triggerfinger have apparently built quite the reputation overseas, including their European home as well as the US and Canada, but obviously not so much here in Oz. Let’s hope that Colossus helps to change that, cos these guys are awesome! Now, to buy some of that back-catalogue…
Luke Balzan
Triggerfinger is a Belgian rock band from Lier, Belgium, formed in 1998. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Ruben Block, bassist Paul Van Bruystegem and Mario Goossens as drummer.
Track Listing
1. Colossus
2. Flesh Tight
3. Candy Killer
4. Upstairs Box
5. Afterglow
6. Breathlessness
7. That'll Be The Day
8. Bring Me Back A Live Wild One
9. Steady Me
10. Wollensak Walk
