September 28, 2004 - Gettin' Filthy

Three days after my last release and two years since "Open Container", The Expendables released their third album "Gettin' Filthy" on September 28, 2004. Cam Hanson is no longer with the band, but they continue on as a four-piece now and i'm not sure they really needed three guitarists anyway. The Expendables are still playing their same style of reggae/rock/punk and this is their longest album yet with 20 tracks and over an hour of music! Let's dive in!

The album begins with "Tight Squeeze" and it sounds like a typically smooth reggae main riff with Geoff Weers sounding pretty smooth overtop. Adam Patterson echoes Weers in the chorus and at times in the verse but he doesn't all that much I find. It's a decent little opener, nothing too crazy going on. Up next is "Let Her Go" and Raul Bianchi plays some cool lead guitar overtop the simpler reggae rhythm section as Weers leads a pop-y and decently catchy verse. Ryan DeMars adds some nice groovy bass and things sound very smooth indeed. Bianchi plays a nice little guitar solo that matches the mood well and this seemed like a no-brainer for a single to me. Track 3 is "Set Me Off" and it's got a much faster punk-rock main riff led by some fast guitar by Bianchi and some faster singing by Weers. The punk-rock riff sounds solid but Weers vocals are a little lacking to match the energy. Bianchi's solo sounds epic even though it's not very flashy, this was a decent but not amazing faster song. The next track is "Head In My Hands" and we're back to the stop-and-start reggae style though the pace is a little faster with some cool guitars by both Bianchi and Weers. After a couple simple verses and choruses Bianchi spices things up with a pretty cool solo, then they somehow shift the main reggae riff into a punk riff and it's a shockingly smooth transition to a pretty cool ending! Track 5 is a sort of remix on their song from their previous album "Die For You (Reprise)" and somehow even though they have one less guitarist now, this sounds like the same main riff as the original, but fuller, louder and more complete. Bianchi's lead guitar is still the highlight as he plays some pretty cool stuff, but Weers rhythm guitar is decent ad well. Weers sounds very clear and solid overtop and the chorus in this version is slower than the original, but it's very epic and well done. An interesting reimagining! Up next is "Sacrifice" and it was the lead single off the album, and it's easy to see why with some space-y and cool lead guitar by Bianchi leading the way and it's a super catchy main riff once everyone else comes in to support him. The chorus is equally catchy and cool and Weers sounds his best with a pretty good second verse. After another chorus they do a great little break that features some nice drum fills by Patterson and it leads wonderfully into a nice guitar solo by Bianchi! This is definitely a really cool song and an easy favourite so far, not often do I think the singles are actually the best songs on the album, but this is definitely an exception! Track 7 is called "Bowl For Two" and it's a love song centered around marijuana! It's driven by some pretty catchy guitar and some very smooth bass hybrid DeMars as well as Weers sings some pretty great verses overtop about wanting to get high with that special someone. It's a unique and pretty catchy little tune and my favourite line for sure is when the music stops for a second and Weers sings "so please don't run awaaaay, when my ganja's all gone". Bianchi even delivers a pretty cool guitar solo midway through! For a huge stoner such as myself this is a pretty hilarious and very memorable song. The only weed love song I know! The next track is "Bridges Burned" and it's got some space-y guitar by Bianchi that comes in and out while DeMars keeps the pace with some more cool bass and Weers sings a slow verse to match the slow, space-y mood. The lyrics are quite dark and violent which is very atypical for these guys, especially overtop such a light riff. They stick to the main drag for most of this one aside from a short little solo by Bianchi and it's decent but certainly not their best. Track 9 is "Silver Stallion", which is a cover of someone named Lee Clayton. Weers starts us off with a fast and fairly loud rhythm guitar riff and Bianchi eventually comes in with some cool lead guitar as well to complete a pretty solid main riff. Things lead into a similarly solid hard rock chorus and although there's no reggae elements at all on this one they show that they can be a solid rock band as well! Bianchi delivers a cool little solo and this is an undeniably headbanging tune! Up next is "Jenny" and it's unclear who is playing it but there is some nice piano on this song that adds another interesting layer to another reggae-based main riff. Weers sings a solid verse overtop the smooth music and there's all kinds of cool flair from the pianist. This song is a little on the sappy side for me, but the piano definitely keeps things interesting at least. Track 11 is "The Cam Song", named after their recently departed band member. They dive right into an opening guitar solo in a fun twist and Bianchi is playing some pretty sweet stuff as well that is nice and distorted! Then they settle into a groovy and smooth verse with some nice bass and Weers and Patterson syncing up for some smooth dual vocals. Bianchi keeps adding short solos after every verse and everything sounds pretty good! It's a little repetitive bit largely solid still. The next track is only 25 seconds long and it's called "Spilled Blood". We hear two of the guys talking about how blood on the sidewalk is apparently a given at all Expendales live shows. It's a funny little interlude that sets the stage for "Mistakes", which is a super fast punk song that is right up my alley with easily the fastest guitars and drums on the album! This song is a mere 1:15, but it's packed with some headbanging stuff, including a great solo by Bianchi! Up next is a short song called "Rock The Butt" and it's got a nice chugging main riff that is fairly hard rock for these guys but I dig it! It's an instrumental song with Bianchi taking the lead with all kinds of cool guitar, including some solid shredding right at the end! Atypical for these guys, but a solid little tune! Track 15 is "Filthy Dub" and it's got some solid bass by DeMars, a reggae rhythm guitar by Weers, some cool lead guitar by Bianchi and everything has the same space-y, echo-y effect to it as all their previous "dub" songs. I'm not sure who is singing this one but it's in a much more Jamaican-sounding voice that fits the reggae music pretty nicely. This song is probably a little too long at nearly six minutes, but Bianchi spices things up with a pretty sweet solo midway through before they resume the space-y main riff. The next track is "All In" and as you'd expect the lyrics are about playing poker, calling bluffs, and going all in! Weers sings the catchy verses overtop a light but fast-paced main riff that is pretty catchy as well and it's easy to get your toe tapping to this one! Bianchi's lead guitar isn't typically higher and more distorted, it's almost acoustic it's so light but everything sounds very smooth and catchy! Bianchi plays a "solo" but it's pretty simple and more just fits the mood nicely. A fun little tune for sure even though it's not very flashy. Track 17 is "Party At The Moon Tower" and they jump right into a pretty heavy rhythm section and Bianchi is quickly playing some thrash-level guitar that sounds pretty sweet overtop! This song is also instrumental and just like the last one it's pretty awesome with Bianchi playing lots of great guitar! These hard rock interludes are wicked! Up next is "Would You Like To Know" and we're back to the smooth reggae vibes with a slow but very smooth main riff and Weers sings a pretty cool verse to nicely match the mood. The chorus is a little louder and also fairly catchy and this a typical(ly solid) tune. The set-up to the solo is nicely done by Patterson on drums and Bianchi delivers a wicked little solo in a great break-up from the smooth main riff. Track 19 is "My Way Out" and it's got an upbeat and catchy main riff with Weers playing his usual reggae rhythm guitar and Patterson and DeMars providing the upbeat and cool rhythm section. Weers and Patterson both sing this whole song and at times when they branch off from each other it sounds alright. Eventually they slam into a hard rock version of the same riff that sounds pretty solid and they alternate between this and the slow main riff a few times to sum things up. It's a cool song for sure, especially the hard rock parts obviously! The final song on this long album is "Bridges Burned Dub" and as they've done on every one of their albums they end with a "dub" version of a song that we heard earlier on the album. It seems like a good choice at least as it easily transitions into an echo-y, space-y and trippy version of that same slow main riff and some super trippy, echoing vocals. It's a super trippy way to wrap things up, words can't really properly describe it!

That is the end of "Gettin' Filthy" and I thought it was mostly a solid, fun album by the Expendables. It definitely had lots of high points as these guys mostly stick to light reggae-rock, but their hard rock/punk parts are usually pretty cool and Raul Bianchi plays lots of good guitar. It's also quite long with several more average songs though. I think it does surpass their last album "Open Container", but I don't think it's better than their debut "No Time To Worry" so second place will have to do. They are certainly an interesting band and I look forward to more Expendables!