Highly Suspect
Mister Asylum


4.5
superb

Review

by BigHans USER (118 Reviews)
July 29th, 2015 | 77 replies


Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Music for shot-gunning Old Milwaukee in a biker bar while playing guitar-smashing roulette with a roadie from Kyuss.

Every once in a while an album comes along that renews our faith that rock still breathes, smoldering under the ashes of more popular yet inferior music that is not rock. Real rock, the kind that tastes like whiskey and muscles, the kind that you can just smell in the floorboards, remnants of the riffs and pumped fists of long-forgotten gigs. The kind that talks about gin and the devil and makes you want to get a snake tattoo on your face and start fighting people in the street. The kind that scoffs at any instrument missing 6 strings of glory or canvass slathered barrels of might and aims to scorch the earth while blasting through the desert in an old Camaro, knowingly riding every cliché to the top of the riff mountain. Say hello to Highly Suspect.

“F*ck the world, my love is real.” More than a lyric from the instant classic, barrel-chested riff rocker “Bloodfeather,” it forecasts the testosterone-laced atmosphere surrounding this power trio from Brooklyn. The majority of their debut “Mister Asylum” is a self-proclaimed “no-f*cks given” tribute to dirty, rollicking, groove-saturated power stoner blues rock. Imagine early Kings of Leon meets Queens of the Stone Age with the beastly riffs, mighty choruses, and muscular attitude of Clutch. Take for example lead single “Lydia,” a legitimate song of the year contender that rides funky verses to a chorus so massive an exasperated vocalist/guitarist Johnny Stevens roars “I can’t f*cking breathe” in the bridge with the convincing vigor of “Blast Tyrant” era Neil Fallon. The influences don’t stop there, seen in the fuzz drenched glory of the title track, the driving four-on-the-floor groove of “Vanity,” the “what the Black Keys would sound like if the Black Keys actually knew how to rock” atmosphere of “Bath Salts,” and the roaring, infectious chorus of “Bloodfeather.” Even the more restrained, slow burning numbers like “Mom” and “23” still resonate with a certain force. The atmosphere of “Mister Asylum” is relentless in its quest for rock royalty status, and most important, the songwriting is pummeling and highly consistent throughout.

“Dance, dance mother*cker, dance.” More than a snippet from album closer “Claudeland,” an infectious, throwback rocker that mirrors what “Johnny B. Goode” would sound like if Chuck Berry wrote a stoner rock classic, it sums up what Highly Suspect are all about. They don’t make music appropriate for dancing, they make music for shot-gunning Old Milwaukee in a backwoods biker bar while playing guitar-smashing roulette with a roadie from Kyuss. Yet they want you to dance, and after being assaulted by their onslaught of grooves, it’s impossible not to gyrate somehow. Your move, Clutch.



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user ratings (253)
3.9
excellent
other reviews of this album
NordicMindset (4)
A promising debut from what will hopefully be modern rock's figureheads....

TheFlatsFan09 (4.5)
A strong, powerful and confident debut album that showcases a mix of blues, grunge & hard rock....



Comments:Add a Comment 
LotusFlower
July 29th 2015


12000 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

"smoldering under the ashes of more popular yet inferior music that is not rock"



This is how you get your reviews ghost neg'd

argonaut
July 29th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Sweet review, never heard of these guys. I'll give it a try.

BigHans
July 29th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Wouldn't bother me Clover.

BigHans
July 29th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Argonaut, check out Lydia and Bloodfeather first, those are my faves, although the whole thing is pretty great.

argonaut
July 29th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Ok, thanks. Will do.

Sowing
Moderator
July 29th 2015


44537 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Awesome job, was going to review this myself but didn't have the time. Lydia is outstanding. Still not sure how I feel about the whole album, I need to spin it a few more times.

BigHans
July 29th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Thanks Sowing, you should still do it since Sputnik needs to hear this hard.



Bloodfeather is insanely good too.

argonaut
July 29th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Bloodfeather rocks hard, Lydia was solid too. I'll check the whole album hopefully later today.

BigHans
July 29th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Right on dude, I've been jamming this non-stop all day. Just discovered it this morning.

argonaut
July 29th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Nice. Can't jam it right now, because I'm listening to Who's Next. m/







BigHans
July 29th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Great choice man

BigHans
July 29th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Fuck this goes hard

Sowing
Moderator
July 30th 2015


44537 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Just bought this at best buy, gonna spin it tonight so I can hear all the rest of the songs

NordicMindset
July 30th 2015


25137 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

cannot stop listening to Lydia

Sowing
Moderator
July 30th 2015


44537 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Got through the whole thing and it's good. It's nothing new, just basic heavy rock with some pretty memorable riffs. I wish the vocalist had a little more energy and the songs attempted to branch out more, it reminds me a lot of Royal Blood but I think I slightly prefer them to these guys.

BigHans
July 30th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

I think they actually get compared to Royal Blood a lot, I should probably check them out. Thanks Sowing.

argonaut
July 30th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I thought of Royal Blood as well, although I didn't like that album much. It felt pretty formulaic to me.

BigHans
July 30th 2015


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Ive never thought Formulaic was bad as long as it rocks.

InFlamesWeThrash666
July 30th 2015


10584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Great album. Lydia is definitely a SOTY contender

LepreCon
July 30th 2015


5481 Comments


Spotifying this shizz now



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