:: Danko Jones - Below The Belt

Danko Jones

Never ones to lay low for too long, Canadian rock act Danko Jones have returned with their fifth full-length effort ‘Below The Belt’, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2008’s ‘Never Too Loud’. Much like their former efforts, ‘Below The Belt’ shows a slight change of sound for the trio, with some of the minor punk influences heard on the band’s last couple of efforts being cast aside for the most part in favour of a return to their earlier all out rock ‘n’ roll sound. And while the change is a minor one, it does play a part in helping ‘Below The Belt’ overshadow their last album in sounding just that touch more stronger overall. The album starts out with the band firing on all cylinders with the totally rocking ‘I Think Bad Thoughts’. Energetic, catchy as hell and propelled with a huge groove, the opener is just one of the many tracks on the album that listeners will find themselves humming along to long after its finished. Although sounding reminiscent of Kiss’ ‘Love Her All I Can’ (From 1975’s ‘Dressed To Kill’), ‘Active Volcanoes’ is a full on follow up track that maintains the band’s hard rock manifesto, while the heavier ‘Tonight Is Fine’ sees the band shaking up the formula a little by injecting a bit more grit and sleaze into their sound. The first single/promotional video clip ‘Full Of Regret’ is a slick radio friendly effort that allows the rhythm section within the band to show that they can deliver more than just a straight forward rock sound, while the mid-paced ‘The Sore Loser’, the fist pumping ‘Like Dynamite’ and the sleazy/faster paced ‘Magic Snake’ shows the domination of the band’s rockier sound throughout their latest release. Of course, not all of the band’s recent punk rock influences have disappeared, with ‘Had Enough’ (Which in some ways reminds me of latter day direction the Misfits took with front man Michael Graves), the infectious ‘(I Can’t Handle) Moderation’ and ‘I Wanna Break Up With You’ the most notably punk-like efforts on the album. The swing back to a more rock orientated sound, and a greater consistency within the tracks on the album have combined to ensure that ‘Below The Belt’ is a huge step up from where Danko Jones last left things a couple of years ago. All in all, this is a winner from start to finish.