From the ashes of the critically acclaimed Squirrel Bait, frontman Peter Searcy leads the powerful sound of Big Wheel.
Big Wheel takes speedy thrash punk, slows it down, and cleans it up a bit. You won't hear any uncontrolled wailing of any kind from this band, none of the grit you normally find within the punk genre, but Big Wheel doesn't fall within that genre. For some, this is a positive point, for others, eh. I tend to like the grit, but that doesn't change the fact that Big Wheel's East End is a pretty decent album.
East End starts of with a promising, intense intro with fast, rolling drums. Peter Searcy's signature vocal styling is heard with the initial yell of, "Bang, bang, bang!", setting the stage for this behemoth of a song. Pulsing rhythms from the drummer drive the song, with the guitar sharpening and already dangerous knife. "Burning Down The Model Home" follows, dulling the edge a bit, but creating a much more accessible sound. That being said, this song does not exactly stand out. Next up in the arsenal of long song names, "Time You Need To Think", is a very driving, up-tempo piece. The opening guitar motif is very memorable, the chorus features some heavy vocals, which is always great. "Erect", despite being much more poppy and having a name that would make the immature side of you laugh, is a great song with fast and catchy hooks. Coming in near the back of the album, "Billboard Song" shows Big Wheel's artistic talent in creating a slow, powerful ballad. Features of the song include beautiful verses, and biting instrumentals. "Spanish Salsa" and "Metallica" end the album with pure thrash metal instrumentals, and weaving vocals sprinkled over the top of noise. While it is easy to lump these two songs together, they are a fantastic end to this album.
Song 10 of the release is where Big Wheel shines. "Half of Everything" opens with a quiet, single-note guitar riff. Drums and bass are added, vocals, and soon everything explodes in prechorus with Searcy wailing, "Which end will I be stuck with?/Short end of the stick!". Further explosives follow in the chorus, with fills flying the guitar and drum section. "Half Of Everything" is a fantastic song, it drives you, cuts you up, slaps you, and sticks in your head.
Big Wheel went on to produce a couple more albums, neither of which are as great as the first. Their sophomore release is something to avoid entirely, while the final will be posted here at a later date. Searcy went on to play in Starbilly for a couple years, and later went solo. I'm unsure as to what the rest of the band went on to do, but I know they played a reunion show about a year ago. Sadly, I couldn't get myself across the country to see it. If you saw the show, or any show by Big Wheel, please share your experience! If you have anything to share, please feel free.
Get it here:
Big Wheel - East End
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