Master Volume is the second studio album by Canadian punk rock band, The Dirty Nil. The album was released on September 14, 2018 through Dine Alone Records. The album's first single, "Bathed in Light", was released ahead of the album in June 2018.
| Master Volume | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 27:08 | |||
| Label | Dine Alone | |||
| Producer | John Goodmanson | |||
| The Dirty Nil chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Master Volume | ||||
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Background and recording
editOn June 7, 2018, the band announced their sophomore album.
Release and promotion
editSingles
editOn June 7, 2018, the band announced their sophomore album and released their first single for the album, "Bathed In Light". Geoff Parent, writing for Dominionated, praised the track calling it "[The Dirty Nil] at their very best." Parent described the composition of the song as "infectious, efficient, and massive", and wrote that the track "burns white-hot before riding headstrong into the black."[5]
On July 11, 2018, the second single ahead of the album, "Pain of Infinity" was released. In a mixed review of the track, Jason Pettigrew, writing for Alternative Press called the band and the track "Too noisy and attitude-laden for music directors at radio and graybeards praying for one more Aerosmith tour, and way too coarse for devotees of sterile Pro Tooled pop punk, the Dirty Nil are the bastard sons emerging from a beer-fueled Petri dish teeming with Seattle grunge and drunken Midwest alt-rock."[6]
"I Don't Want That Phone Call" was the third single to be released by the band, and final single released ahead of the album's release. The single was released on August 23, 2018 exclusively via Kerrang! magazine,[7] and released the following day on Dine Alone Records' SoundCloud account.[4] Lead singer, Luke Bentham, described the song as a love song to anyone struggling with substance abuse.[8][9]
Music videos
editThe first music video, for their single, "Bathed In Light" premiered on YouTube on June 20, 2018. The video was produced by "Parkside" Mike Renaud, directed by Mitch Barnes and Victor Malang. It was filmed at the Shangri-La Niagara Family Campground in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The video features the band performing the song with pyrotechnics and fireworks going off near the band members.[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's What Heaven Feels Like" | 2:49 |
| 2. | "Bathed In Light" | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Pain of Infinity" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Please, Please Me" | 2:03 |
| 5. | "Auf Wiedersehen" | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Always High" | 2:44 |
| 7. | "Smoking Is Magic" | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Super 8" | 2:32 |
| 9. | "I Don't Want That Phone Call" | 2:18 |
| 10. | "Evil Side" | 5:58 |
| 11. | "Hit the Lights (Metallica cover)" | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 27:08 | |
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Classic Rock | 8/10[12] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[13] |
| Kerrang! |   [1] |
| NME | [14] |
| Now | [15] |
Master Volume was well-received by contemporary music critics. On review aggregator, Metacritic, Master Volume received an average score of 79 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11] In a rave review, Adam Feibel, writing for Exclaim! described the band in their "purest, loudest and most electrifying form". Feibel described Master Volume as "a defining sermon, distilling decades of guitar-charged power and wisdom into 10 succinct commandments". Feibel would give the album a nine out of 10.[13]
Essi Berelian, writing for Classic Rock called the album, "punk, but not as we know it".[12] Berelian praised the production of the album but also gave high marks to the sense of humor and irony embedded throughout the album. Berelian called Master Volume a "clever [album] with melodies over and above what they achieved on debut Higher Power, and lyrically there's more than welcome cheeky sense of irony". Berelian gave the album a score of eight out of 10.[12] Writing for Now, Luke Ottenhof gave the album four stars out of five. Ottenhof called Master Volume a "delightful", but a "precise record".[15]
In a more mixed review, Jordan Bassett, writing for NME described the album as "experiential music, meant to be enjoyed communally at their ear-splitting live shows". He gave the album three stars out of five.[14]
Personnel
edit- The Dirty Nil
- Luke Bentham – lead vocals, guitar
- Ross Miller – bass, backing vocals
- Kyle Fisher – drums
Charting
edit| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] | 23 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "The Dirty Nil - Master Volume" (Print). Kerrang!. September 13, 2018. p. 55. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ "The Dirty Nil - Bathed In Light by Dine Alone Records". SoundCloud. June 7, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Pain of Infinity - The Dirty Nil". Bandcamp. July 11, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Dirty Nil - I Don't Want That Phone Call by Dine Alone Records". SoundCloud. Dine Alone Records. August 23, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Parent, Geoff (June 19, 2018). ""Bathed In Light" by The Dirty Nil". dominionated.ca. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Pettigrew, Jason (July 11, 2018). "The Dirty Nil unleash noisy new song, "Pain Of Infinity"". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Staff article (October 1, 2018). "Exclusive: Check Out The New Dirty Nil Track Right Here!". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent, Ltd. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- ^ Lewis, Scott (August 23, 2018). "The Dirty Nil Share New Song 'I Don't Want That Phone Call'". indie88.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Frankel, Ricky. "The Dirty Nil: "I Don't Want That Phone Call"". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ "The Dirty Nil "Bathed in Light" (Video) | Exclaim!".
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Master Volume". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c Berelian, Essi (September 13, 2018). The Dirty Nil Master Volume: It's punk, Jim, but not as we know it (Print) (September 2018 ed.). Bath, United Kingdom: Classic Rock. p. 93. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Feibel, Adam (September 7, 2018). "The Dirty Nil Master Volume". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Bassett, Jordan (13 September 2018). "The Dirty Nil – 'Master Volume' review". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Ottenhof, Luke (September 14, 2018). "The Dirty Nil are totally committed to the power of rock on Master Volume". Now. Now Communications. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ "The Dirty Nil Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.