Cancer Bats
Give Me Dirt
Marshall Records
From the moment the opener, ‘ World Wild Fire Death Race’ (Feat. Nate Newton), chaotically floods your senses, you can feel that pull back to the earth with its instinctive, bone deep return to capturing something physical, primal, raw, and real. It’s not just a theme that you hear; it’s something you experience as a listener within your full chest. There’s a feral wildness to this record, a grounding, a sense that the band have stepped purposely out of the digital haze and planted their bare feet firmly back in the physical world, embracing reality and all its harsh and loveable lessons.
And when you learn how the album’s mixed-media artwork was passionately created by Liam Cormier rather than opting for a soulless AI creation, the record’s concept suddenly clicks. It’s the same energy the 11-track eighth album carries throughout – loud, rough, dirty and absolutely alive. It’s a stark reminder that imperfection is powerful. That noise is entirely necessary. That humanity is both messy and beautiful, and this is amplified through tracks like ‘Stay Stuck’ with its thunderous drum intro, ‘Don’t Trip’, which is a brisker tune yelling “Planet Earth is a hell of a ride”, and ‘Speed Wizard’, which is a delectable bluesy groove-laden number.
After two decades of continuously tearing across the planet, Cancer Bats seem less like a band and more like a conjoined feral force of nature. These tracks feel like the product of a year wholly lived listening to and embracing Mother Earth, cemented in lyrics in the title track ‘Give Me Dirt’ that powerfully demonstrates the psyche that Liam’s verses tapped into during his trip to rural Nova Scotia, North Shore beaches and motorbiking through the mountains of Nepal.
GIVE ME DIRT THE ROCKS THE ROOTS THE MOSS
THE SAND THE CLAY THE RAIN THE FROST
GIVE ME DIRT THE BARK THE GRIT THE SKY
THE GRASS THE EARTH WE LIVE WE DIE
Each song is packaged carefully into small, high-energy, explosive capsules, ready for easy consumption, which is the band’s strength and the reason we also adore them as a tempestuous live hardcore act. Cancer Bats have long honed their sound, but with legendary metal producer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Kvelertak, High On Fire), assistant Zach Weeks and Ian Romano (The Outfit, PigPen, Ancient Shapes) all at the helm, they’ve masterfully enriched the band’s sound to reach new depths, further solidifying the positivity of this collaboration.
‘Give Me Dirt’ is an intelligent, powerful, sonically refined offering and one that you should not only listen to but learn from.
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Reviewed By Nickie