Hot Snakes - "Jericho Sirens"

San Diego natives Hot Snakes since the early 2000's have really made some big waves in the Post Hardcore world.  With their 2000 debut "Automatic Midnight", Hot Snakes instantly put the world on notice with their grimy, explosive brand of Post Hardcore.  But this wasn't more of the same gutless Post-Hardcore going around.  This was Post Hardcore blended with all sort of surprising genres.  There were elements of Garage Rock and Punk, as well as a serious underlying theme of Surf Rock.  Needless to say, this was easily one of the most exciting debut albums of this time period, and Hot Snakes seemed to have seemingly endless potential.  Hot Snakes returned with a much cleaner sound in 2002 with "Suicide Invoice".  Now I guess I really shouldn't say cleaner sound because this album was still a seriously off the rails and intense Post-Hardcore album.  But the production here really got cleaned up.  Overall, this is a very solid follow up, and a really great Post-Hardcore album.  Hot Snakes knew how to use tension to their advantage, and embraced their Punk side on this album too.  And while granted, I sort of wish there was more of that Surf Rock undertone, I couldn't say no to this.  2004's "Audit In Progress" showed Hot Snakes had PLENTY of gas left in the tank.  This album was their tightest and most intense yet.  Some of these riffs and rhythms were seriously crippling beyond belief, and the tension was at an all-time high.  Tracks like "Hatchet Job" and "Audit In Progress" were some of their punchiest yet, so overall this worked great for them.  So it's been a very casual 14 freakin' years since we've heard from Hot Snakes.  But from the sound of these singles, they really haven't slowed down at all.  Let's chat about this, shall we!

    This album starts off with the absolutely throttling “I Need a Doctor”.  I love just how wild Rick Froberg sounds in his vocal performance.  I mean, we literally haven’t heard anything from Hot Snakes in 14 years, and this sounds easily just as blood pumping and off the rails.  It’s intense, heavy as hell, but it also has just enough melodic areas to really make this stick with you.  This may be Post-Hardcore by the books, but it’s done expertly.  But I think what makes me love Hot Snakes the most is their unpredictability.  Post-Hardcore is such a cool genre, but if you can get your listener to never know what to expect from one note to the next, that’s special.  Then we have the much more sluggish, chugging “Candid Cameras”, which brings in some very jagged Math Rock rhythms.  It’s just as intense, even if it isn’t so balls-to-the-wall.  This track is a pressure cooker, often sounding like a tea kettle seconds away from exploding.  Personally, I like hearing Hot Snakes a little more upbeat, mostly because it makes things a little more out of control.  But “Candid Cameras” is still a blood pumper for sure.  Then we have “Why Don’t It Sink In?”, which is much more upbeat and off-the-rails.  But I have to say I’m not nearly as into Rick’s vocals here.  It’s just a little too zany sounding for him to be honest.  While it’s certainly fun to hear him freak out and go absolutely nuts, this really isn’t that interesting sadly.  Instrumentally, it’s one of the more colorful tunes here, but Hot Snakes usually package their tracks so much better.  On the other hand, “Six Wave Hold-Down” is 100% what I like to hear.  This is just as wild and throttling and Rick’s performance is at it’s most wild.  But this is the sort of controlled chaos that works amazingly.  It’s certainly a Post-Hardcore tune, but it’s still got some Rock N Roll and Surf Rock undertones.  This one is all gravy folks, it’s catchy and memorable, but also heavy enough to be legit.  Not to mention, Rick’s vocals are easily at their grittiest and toughest.  All around “Six Wave Hold-Down” is one of the best tunes here. 

    On the other hand, “Jericho Sirens” brings in a real sense of mystery that I’m really digging.  I just love the slow-paced, almost bluesy riff that you honest to God have no idea where it’s going.  It’s certainly a little more calculative and not nearly as out of control.  But Hot Snakes makes up for that with just how hard-hitting this one is.  Rick’s performance is just the right mixture of mad-man who can really keep his cool if he needs to, and someone who really doesn’t care if he’s a madman or not. And while I usually don’t like Hot Snakes slower tunes nearly as much, “Jericho Sirens” is easily one of the best tracks here.  I have no idea where these guys have been for 14 years, but I feel like they haven’t strayed far from their original sound at all.  On the other hand, “Death Camp Fantasy” gets the blood pumping in a big with one of the most intense tracks here.  I love just how smooth this one is, and I’ve always been a big fan of their subtle nods to surf rock underneath their chaos.  I may sound like a broken record with that, but it sets Hot Snakes apart, and I love that.  The group vocals here actually make this one of the catchiest tunes here and dare I say most fun.  But just how intense this one remains is what makes it obvious that Hot Snakes really haven’t lost their touch.  “Death Camp Fantasy” absolutely rips.  “Having Another?” on the other hand, is a little more jagged and explosive right off the bat.  The Math Rock vibes are alive and well in a big way here, and I love just how intense this one gets once things get going.  Like, once this really gets rolling it’s an absolute onslaught.  Now, it’s not nearly as catchy as some of the other tunes, which is a little disheartening.  But the sheer intensity of this one really does work nicely for Hot Snakes, and I still think it’s a damn fine tune.  I have no idea where all of this energy is coming from, but Hot Snakes are doing awesome things.  “Death Doula’ shows the band once again really slowing things down for a much more calculating slow burner.  But of all the tunes here, this one sadly doesn’t hit me nearly as hard.  Hot Snakes have taken care of other slow burners just fine here.  But this one just seems unfocused, even if these breakdowns are intense.  That’s the only real shining light one “Death Doula”, I love just how heavy everything is.  But as far as memorable tracks go, this is a low point for me.

    Clearly, Hot Snakes aren’t done just yet, because “Psychoactive” is immediately right back in that much more upbeat, intense direction.  I love the guitar-driven passages and just how wild Rick sounds in his performance.  This is one of the more straightforward tracks here, and you could say that in a way this is a little bit on cruise control.  But for me, it works, and this track remains catchy as hell, memorable, and intense.  This album wraps up with “Death of a Sportsman”, which is one of the cooler performances here.  And when I say cool, I mean this one has some serious swagger.  I love the intense bass opening, and even though Rick on vocals sounds a little too much on his best behavior, I actually think this is a fitting ending.  It’s not nearly as out of control as other tracks here, and for once Hot Snakes really end up focusing more on melody, which you may dig or may not.  But at the end of the day, it’s still upbeat, wild and filled with Punk attitude.


Rating: 8.2/10

Give A Listen To: “Six Wave Hold-Down”, “Jericho Sirens”, “Death Camp Fantasy”, “Psychoactive”

Genre: Post-Hardcore / Math Rock / Punk Rock

Overall Thoughts:  Hot Snakes return after 14 years and somehow really haven’t missed any beats.  That’s a long hiatus for any band, but the material here is surprisingly right on par with the album’s that got them to be big names in Post-Hardcore to begin with.  In most parts, it’s actually even a little better.  This album is brimming with intense, Post-Hardcore gems with catchy choruses and a slight Surf Rock undertone.  Some tunes have some Math Rock vibes, and others in another time may have been a solid Hardcore Punk tune.  But the real story here is that after all these years Hot Snakes just sound so damn vicious.  They don’t sound like they’ve rested at all, they just sound like they’ve been plotting their comeback and ready to take over Post-Hardcore once again.  And yea, they succeed.