Review Summary: A surprisingly varied blast of stoner-punk
A title like Not Dead Yet might be a little dramatic for what’s *only* been a seven-year gap, but you sure can’t say American Sharks hasn’t come back kicking and screaming. The album’s opening title track immediately throws the listener into a stoner-punk fray somewhere between Red Fang and Zig Zags with thumping bass, bashing drums, grainy fuzz guitar, and sneering yells in a minute and forty-five seconds flat. But while the ensuing songs are as snappy as that twenty-six minute runtime suggests, the time away might’ve also encouraged them to play with their variety.
“Flowers For The Dead” and “Going Insane” adjust to mid-tempo hard rock struts, the latter featuring an especially brawny riff and call-and-response shouts. “Fuzz War” introduces an almost occult flavor to the proceedings that is expanded even further with stoner-doom disorientation on “I Need Blood.” “Bang Your Head” brings a good sense of fun with a fast chug and a chant clearly intended for a rowdy show while “Sunny Sunday” is an oddly earnest acoustic number with wholesomely encouraging lyrics.
Not Dead Yet may be rocking out with seemingly reckless abandon but in the context of American Sharks’s trajectory, it shows some strong growth. The more varied songwriting could’ve come off as unnatural but the tight pace and rabble-rousing performances give it strong character. One can only hope their next round of stoner-punk will come with a shorter turnaround but in the meantime, I can imagine them tearing it up live.
