The Supervillains

Massive

Law Records

(The Supervillains MySpace)

Florida outfit, The Supervillains has thankfully managed to take some time off from touring and partying with Mary Jane and Jägermeister to finally work on a new album and compared to previous Supervillains records, the sound of the band’s fourth release is truly - Massive.

After recently hanging out with the band on its RV for a few hours it became very obvious what sets The Supervillains apart from other groups in the scene. We listened to Voodoo Glow Skulls and gushed about the brilliance of Mr Bungle and the Blue Meanies, it is this schizophrenic ska-punk influence that you can really hear on tracks like the aggressive The Pit (featuring Kyle McDonald from Slightly Stoopid) and the sweaty horn work-out on Snow White. It’s this exciting experimentation that makes a Supervillians album so captivating, here probably best demonstrated in the pop to punk to reggae changes on the album highlight Coming Home.

Yet even on the more straight forward reggae rock tracks the band also shines; You Got Me and the re-recording of Little Girl, Crippy Weed and Overdose best showcase this - all featuring sweet catchy vocals from Dom and Skart. The improvement in production on these re-recordings substantiates it was a wise move to retackle these songs. With The Supervillains well-known tongue-in-cheek humor, there is also no surprise to see the band tackle a serious cover of Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out - another album highlight.

Massive is everything I was hoping for in a new Supervillains record, improved production that still captures the great energy the band has developed in recent times through a rigorous touring schedule. Just like The Joker dominated The Dark Knight, Massive proves it really is the year of The Supervillains.

Reviewed by Pilipo