With the release of their seventh album, Specter at the Feast, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (B.R.M.C.) proves they’re the antithesis of a one-dimensional rock cohort.
The frequently leather-laden trio offers great sonic variety throughout the album, ranging from “Lullaby,” a dulcet tune with melancholy lyrics, to Peter Hayes’ screaming guitar and hard rock vocals on “Rival.” Upon listening to the album’s 12 tracks in their entirety, it’s apparent the band’s compositions have grown more nuanced, both musically and lyrically. Even the album title, a reference to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is an unexpected choice for a rock band. Undoubtedly, Specter at the Feast is B.R.M.C.’s most thoughtful work to date.
The inspiration behind this successful album, however, is emphatically macabre. During B.R.M.C’s 2010 tour, Michael Been, singer/bassist Robert Been’s father (who was also the band’s sound engineer), unexpectedly passed away backstage. The traumatic event spurred two years of cathartic songwriting that allowed the group to process their grief. This resulted in the band’s rise from despair to creating music that looks towards the future, giving this album a phoenix-like quality.
As an homage to the late Been (a founding member of 1980s rock group The Call), Specter at the Feast contains a cover of The Call’s 1989 hit single “Let the Day Begin.” Recorded in David Grohl’s Studio 606, it is the first single off the new album.
The band’s fifteen-year career began in 1998 after bassist Been and guitarist Hayes met at their San Francisco Bay Area high school. The pair quickly formed a group and filled the role of drummer with California transplant Nick Jago, who originally hailed from Devon, England. An unmistakable classic rock sound influenced by Led Zeppelin can be heard the fledgling band’s debut and sophomore albums (B.R.M.C. and Take Them On, On Your Own). In 2008, Leah Shapiro replaced Jago as drummer, but Been and Hayes continue to share vocals.
Music from Black Rebel Motorcycle CLub has been featured in an assortment of television series, movies, and video games. Most notably, the Sons of Anarchy pilot episode used “Stop” from Take Them On, On Your Own, and “Done All Wrong” is an exclusive song found on The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack.
B.R.M.C.’s show on Wednesday will be heavy on new material from Specter at the Feast, but fans of the band’s early musical works need not worry — there will be plenty of the trio’s signature rock ‘n’ roll vibe to go around.