Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cambridge in the annals of music is not always noted for its association with the heavier side of Rock. The city which stands beside Oxford as the powerhouses and symbols of the English University system is more at home with being the birthplace of Progressive Rock giants Pink Floyd and of the late Syd Barrett, pop icons such as Olivia Newton John and the formation of Katrina and The Waves also feature heavily in the thoughts of those trying to work out how musically the city’s heritage is interwoven with the rest of the country.
The Cam would probably freeze over before the thought of heavy Rock band coming from the area would ever reach the mind of those posed the question, however from out of the mists that envelope Grantchester Meadows, The Treatment have once more prepared their onslaught on the world, the finely tuned guitars, the crashing forceful action of a pair of drumsticks beating out the information of well hardened skin, the nods to the likes of heroes past such as AC/DC and the sparking fury of the Cult all find their way into the brand new album Running With The Dogs.
What makes the band so easy to listen to though is the youthful vigour, the swagger of age that has yet to see the frightened early morning stares of 30, the sheer enjoyment in the voice which springs out like a gazelle frolicking in the African bush. It takes you by surprise, and yet the surprise is fleeting, for in the end you can only sit back and admire what nature truly intended for you to witness.
The Treatment is more like therapy, a dose of what makes you smile makes you stronger and if that is the case, then by the time you finish playing the C.D. all the winter woes and ills will be long gone. They will have gone the way of the frosty mist in the height of summer on the banks of the Cam. Quite rightly, the feel of the album is dominated by the admission of I Bleed Rock And Roll, the brilliant track The Outlaw, the prophetic Cloud Across The Sun and the blistering raucous advice of Don’t Get Mad Get Evil.
A great album in which to remind you that youth doesn’t always bring experience but it sure brings a lot of fun and great music.
Running With The Dogs is available Via Spinefarm Records and is released on February 4th.
Ian D. Hall