Dimbulb - Trip Hammers / 2005 Cock of the Rock / 11 Tracks / http://www.cockoftherock.com / Reviewed 21 July 2005

It is always interesting getting a chyance to hear an album that is from the relatively recent past. Dimbulb had their greatest success right before I really started getting into music. The original version of “Trip Hammers” was put on the market in 1995, and it really is a perfect bridge between the grunge metal (Tad, Soundgarden) that proceeded it and the current wave of nu-metal that follows it. Tracks on “Trip Hammers” also look back towards bands like Megadeth for their harder edge, and while none of the tracks on the disc would be as commercially accessible as Papa Roach’s “Scars”, it does not take a brain surgeon to understand this evolution.

Stylistically, the only major problem that is keeping Dimbulb from achieving a greater cult following is the fact that the band so heavily relies on instrumental arrangements, a fact exacerbated by the sad truth that the arrangements do not always work without the distinct vocals of Dave Cintron. Another shot to the heart of Dimbulb comes in the confusing decision by the band to place the most experimental and different-sounding (at least in terms of tracks on the disc) song smack-dab in the middle of “Trip Hammers”. Sure, during “Drown The Sheep”, the band starts jamming out some fun grooves, but for those more-metal influenced individuals, the presence of this track, looming high in the middle of the disc must be a daunting ordeal to say the least.

The strongest output of Dimbulb has to be when the pretense of experimentation and drone are dropped for brutal guitar lines and growled out vocals. It truly is a light after a long darkness when the opening strain of “Capsule”begin, smash with fury, and end all before the 2:30 mark is breached. “Trip Hammers” came at a very interesting time in American rock music. Gone were the days of the hair band, but this was before the resurrection of the ballad into popular rock (tracks by Creed and Staind are painful markers of this fad), and all that was left is a breakneck-speed type of rock that was equally influenced by the pit-destined Circle Jerks as by Testament. For completists, this album is essential but for the average fan the album will be hard to properly get into, as the there are a number of traitorous jags blocking full enjoyment of “Trip Hammers”. A piece of history, for sure.

Top Tracks: Topless, New Deal

Rating: 5.6/10