Remember when pop met metal head-on in the ’80s? Belgian three-piece Triggerfinger have kept the sonic dream alive since the release of their self-titled debut in 2004. At risk of a cheese overload, the band known as ‘Antwerp’s loudest rockers’ actually nail the balance of influences into fist-raising glory. Think QOTSA meets The Black Keys via a fast and furious highway.
Mitchell Froom keeps the production tight. Ruben Block (guitar, lead vocals), Paul Van Bruystegem (bass) and drummer Mario Goossens, bring a certain Euro-panache to the product. Keys, acoustic guitar and layered percussion interject tastily with an occasional burst of sampling. Gatling gun drums and a duo of bass guitars engage to launch the title track. ‘Candy Killer’ takes us to the (horror) movies. A T-Rex strut drives ‘Bring Me Back A Wild One’, while a chilling Mellotron hook underlies ‘Steady Me’.
The closing instrumental saunters off down a nocturnal boulevard with a lonesome whistler – kind of ‘Green Onions’ Tarantino-style. From gritty to trippy, Colossus looms loud and large.
4/5
Mascot Records/Provogue
Reviewed by Chris Lambie
