Jesters of Destiny: The Sorrows That Refuse to Drown

I haven't come across something this entertaining and certifiably interesting since Russian rockers released records after the Berlin Wall fell and suddenly started changing their lyrics. Apparently, they were always singing about screwing communism we just didn't hear it through all the reverb (and censorship, ha.) Jesters of Destiny is one of those special acts that you must ignore the convoluted press history of them being an "alternative metal" band thirty years ago before that term existed. It's not relevant to this present album The Sorrows That Refuse to Drown to explain the myriad undertones of grunge, punk, ska and pop. Which ironically is all you need to know to start a basic understanding.

But I will accept they are early genre-benders before that musical trend became more fashionable and acceptable. Quite frankly Faith No More took a while to get used to and they were deemed a success. And if we are going to mention genre-twisting releases, Armored Saint's Delirious Nomad is a perfect example of a brilliant release before its time. But yes, there are some grunge and punk influences especially when considering the opening number "Fire in the Six Feet Hole." Yet Jesters of Destiny keeps the vibe fun and the lyrics vibrant. The biggest problem with Grunge was it was so damn depressing it made Norwegian black metal sound upbeat.

Joyfully I can report Jesters of Destiny have a groovy core even when they sing about gloomy things such as the everyday violence on tracks "Chalk Outline," "Till the Following Night" and "Sunset Boulevard." There are touches and flashes of early Rush and old style Rockabilly spread throughout this uncategorizable collection of mostly splendid, mostly blended songs. "The Sorrows That Refuse to Drown" are most likely a sly reference to both the breadth of talent and span of songs this group has refused to let go to the big studio in the sky. They remain electric, eclectic and oddly eccentric in a digital age convinced it has everybody's number. Nobody composes like these guys. Perhaps no one else can see in more than one direction.

Track Listing
1, Fire in the Six-Foot Hole 4:41
2. The Flesh Parade 3:34
3. Ladies of Runyon 1:52
4. My Card, Sir 5:02
5. Chalk Outline 4:30
6. The Misunderstood 4:50
7. Till the Following Night 3:21
8. Sunset Boulevard 4:15
9. Peace, Blood and Charlie Cocaine 1:58
10. Another Fire Six Feed Down 3:59
11. Happy Ending 2:55

Added: May 8th 2017
Reviewer: Mark Antony Rossi
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1875
Language: english

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