Shooting at Unarmed Men - Triptych (Album)

Starting with a scratchy guitar riff and heavy drums, it seems as if it is the start of a genius sound reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age. Unfortunately front man Jonathan Chapple’s (former bassist of Mclusky) vocals are unable to compliment the relentless fast paced drums and guitar work of Triptych. It is clear that on their third outing, Shooting at Unarmed Men have attempted something grand with this record. The unfortunate factor is that Triptych’s musical side has the basis to be a very good album, yet Chapple’s vocals let down the music, taking away from the excellent executed drums and guitar instead of adding to it.

Being based in England for their first two albums, Shooting at Unarmed Men recently made the move to Melbourne, in a bit to tackle one of music’s most famous rock city’s independent scene. While it is very apparent that these guys possess talent, Triptych may not be the record o get the recognition or the fans they were hoping for. As each song passes, it is easy to imagine Triptych being a brilliant hard rock album, yet it is continually let down in the vocal department. Many bands have average singers by traditional standards, many of those manage to do something unique with their voice, which makes it pleasant to listen to. However, this does not apply to the vox on this album. ‘The Things You Can and Cannot Do’ features singing that has an uncanny resemblance to Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’, a song that should never warrant a comparison with heavy rock music.

Leaving the vocals aside, there is much work about this album to be envied, notably the slower track, ‘The Cock-A-Doodle-Doo of Democracy’, which is home to some very nice guitar riffs. At that point of the album, the aforementioned track is the highlight of the album, only to be ruined by an intermission type song called, ‘Full Proof Plan for Successful Living’. A track which features a lot of irritating noise and a small amount of voice over work. The album almost sees the need to redeem itself with the next track, ‘Peristalsis’, which features enticing riffs, heavy drumming and poignant lyrics.

This record, contrary to the norm, gets better towards the latter end of the album. ‘Happy Birthday Placenta’ is a notable track which features surf-style riffs and a very likeable drum beat. All this good work seems slightly undone by the vocal work. This is the story of Triptych really, while it endeavours to be great and in some aspects succeeds, when digested as a whole, unfortunately the instrumental work cannot save the questionable singing.

It is an album one would hear being played through the speakers at a heavy rock concert before the band take to the stage. Which would show their musical merit, yet chosen as to not outshine the headliner. Many heavy rock fans may find this album appealing, but for the most of the music fans, Triptych will feel like a second rate recording, that could and should have been a lot more.

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