In 2003,
the Supersuckers released a song called "Rock-N-Roll Records (Ain't Selling This Year)," in which '
Suckers leader
Eddie Spaghetti lamented the fact that hard-working bands like his own weren't getting a fair shake in the marketplace. Fifteen years later,
the Supersuckers have dropped their 11th studio album,
Suck It, and the second track, "The History of Rock N Roll," laments the fact that hard-working bands like
the Supersuckers aren't getting a fair shake in the marketplace. This time around,
Spaghetti at least gives a shout-out to other acts in the same boat as himself (including
Mudhoney,
the Bell Rays, Zen Guerilla,
the New Bomb Turks, and
the Dwarves, in case you were curious), but while the newer song is solid and anthemic, it covers ground
the Supersuckers have effectively trod before. And that's the biggest failing of
Suck It -- on these tunes,
Spaghetti is (for the most part) doing the same thing he's been doing for literally decades (three of them, in fact).
Eddie and his bandmates (
Metal Marty Chandler on guitar and
Capt. All Nighter Von Streicher on drums) still sound tight and furious, like the greatest arena rock band to never set foot on an arena stage. But there's a fine line between being consistent and sounding rote, and
Suck It doesn't quite cross that border, but it's closer than this band has ever been. Once again,
the Supersuckers are cranking out beefy guitar riffs, pounding the drums, celebrating bad behavior of all sorts, occasionally ruing the consequences, and declaring themselves the greatest rock & roll band in the world. It's all good rowdy fun, but it's also business as usual, and there's nothing here that qualifies as a surprise. And
Spaghetti is in good voice for a man who was battling cancer of the lymph nodes in 2015, but there's a rasp in his instrument that doesn't quite suit the hell-raising tunes on the set list (one of which is a cover of
ZZ Top's "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers," with
Jesse Dayton joining in on vocals), and it makes a difference.
Suck It might be most satisfying for folks who aren't especially familiar with
the Supersuckers' back catalog and unaware of how much of this is a reminder of past glories; it's by no means a bad album, but it does make it obvious that these guys need some fresh ideas.