| Catherine Wheel |
Alternative
The biggest change in Catherine Wheel's sound, whether from Gil Norton's production or the decision of the band as a whole, is in Chrome's general aggressiveness: not brutish, but definitely more in your face, even as Dickinson's lyrics and singing call to mind emotional calamities and internal collapses as much as exultation. The edges are a touch sharper, the sound bursts from the speakers, and Futter in particular earns his deserved guitar god reputation, peeling off powerful rhythms and brilliant, non-wanky solos in profusion. "I Confess" is a great example of how the two work well together, Dickinson taking advantage of a quieter passage to softly sing, "Took too many drugs, popped too many pills" before a massive, charging crash back into the song. Other strong numbers include the snarling title track, one of the band's angriest and most passionate, and the anthemic up-and-out surge of "Ursa Major Space Station," named after a guitar pedal and yet anything but cold technical ability. The real ringer is at the end, the poppy burst of "Show Me Mary," which slightly hints at where Happy Days would end up. When it comes to the absolute highlight, though, it's "Pain." While it has similar loud/soft dynamics as "Black Metallic," the shifts are crisper and the deep ache conveyed by the lyrics all that much more powerful. Add on some simply stunning guitar in the mid-song break, and it's another example of the Wheel's abilities. Ned Raggett
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