Review from: Clean Slate Music

Suitenoir’s release of their debut album marks the end of what you might refer to as chapter 1 or ever the prologue for this band. After many failed attempts to get the project off the ground for one reason or another, frontman Rich Searby-Bates told me he didn’t know if it would ever see the light of day. Wagons fallen off, members quitting and the drunken substance fuelled lifestyle that walks hand in hand with being in a rock band have all been standard fayre. If you look into the history of the band the title ‘Nothing Succeeds Like Excess’ is absolutely perfect. Describing the subject matter of the album himself Rich said “The subject matter on ‘Nothing Succeeds Like Excess’ deals with a host of human emotion, love, loss, life, the usual ya know? But mostly just the struggle and fight to stay strong in the face of heartbreak, death, vices of the human condition and moving on…”

The current line-up and the one that seems to have been needed to get these songs off the page and recorded comprises of the aforementioned Rich Searby-Bates on lead vox and guitar, Pixie (Lee Matthews – Ex Rosie and the Goldbug) on bass and Ryan Hanaford on drums. It might be stating the obvious here but they really are a sum of their parts, and totally dependant on each other to make this all work. Recently the band has seen their support swelled by none other than Juliette Lewis, high praise indeed from a real rock chick. The album was recorded as a collaboration between the band and local high-flying producers Dare Mason and Gareth Young over the course of 2011.

The first thing you’re going to notice about this band whether you see them live or hear them on disc is they are heavily influenced by Nirvana. Let’s get that out-of-the-way early doors as there’s no hiding it, but look past that and there is a lot of weight in closer to home influences like The Clash, Sex Pistols, and many more British punk bands. The noise they make has an undeniable grunge sound to it with pop punk styling like gang vocals thrown in for good measure, but it’s all a bit dirtier in every sense. Rich’s voice is gravelly yet melodic, he really attacks the guitar with killer hooks pounding riffs,with sparse need for too many solos. Pixie has carried over his thumping bass parts from the Goldbug era and slotted into this arrangement like a glove. The bass lines are relentless and so energetic, combined with Ryan’s Animal approach to playing the drums they lay the foundation of each track. Like all good bands that Suitenoir are following on from of this genre the guitar parts are all fairly easy to pick up if you can play a bit, but could you write them…I think not. There’s nothing overly complicated here, which makes the whole album accessible and enjoyable.

All tracks on the album are screaming to be played live, and prowl on the album like a caged animal eying up its next meal. They flex their muscles but you know that when they are set free somethings getting torn apart. The only real change of pace is midway through the album in ‘How Long Should You Care’. Before and after this you’re treated to an audio onslaught from the opening riff of ‘The Kiss’ until the closing bars of ‘Dancer’. There are some real gems on this album, and if you like to rock out of an evening (and you know you do), the I implore you to support this band. It’s acts like this that are in dire need of our help, so if you like them buy the album, go see them at a show, shake them by the hand.

Rating: 8.5/10
Best track: Co-Dydradazed.
For fans of: Nirvana, The Subways, Foo Fighters