Review
Burning Love
Songs For Burning Lovers

Upon the dissolution of Cursed, many people (including myself) let out a proverbial “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” when we saw that it actually had happened and right on the heels of releasing such a great album (if you have yet to experience any Cursed, you are missing out); but I knew deep down that breaking up one band would not hold the members of that band down for long. Shortly afterward, Colohan (vocalist of Cursed) announced new projects including a band named Burning Love, and the waiting for something to hear by them quickly began in earnest; now, not all bands generate this kind of anticipation (I can think of a few for me over the last fifteen years) where you hear about them and are just excited to hear what the people do. The first demo from Burning Love was good, though it did not quite grab me immediately, but after hearing the second 7” , the album could not come soon enough; seeing them live right when Songs For Burning Lovers hit sealed the deal completely due to the band being so high energy.

Let me get this out of the way; the first night that I saw Burning Love, I related to people that they reminded me of Cursed with a significant amount of Stooges thrown into the mix to give it a more rock n roll feel (not so surprising considering Cursed covered “Search & Destroy” on the Hell Comes Home single) or type of energy as some of the malevolent and sinister elements are not as prevalent in the Burning Love songs.

Want proof of these statements?

Go buy Songs For Burning Lovers, the vinyl version, not the crappy CD or, even worse, the digital version of the album (don’t have a record player; well what the hell is wrong with you: didn’t you hear that vinyl is coming back?); bring home the record, or open the record mailer (depending of course on your method of purchasing such things fetishist products), and stick the album on your turntable. Now, listen to Songs For Burning Lovers; DO IT! Do you hear that muscular guitar riff in “Destroyer of Worlds?” What about the riffs in “Don’t Ever Change”; do you hear those?” These songs are blistering shocks of punk rock that will shock you out of that stupor from which you are currently suffering; the guitars are killer and Colohan’s vocals are just as vicious sounding as ever (imagine him simultaneously smiling like a kid and foaming at the mouth like a raving lunatic while screaming the songs on this record). Blasting “Gain” and “Miserable Sound” over and over while chasing your dog around the yard like a maniac is an absolute scream (the neighbors love it when I put my speakers in the windows of my house and crank the volume up all the way, and I think that might think that professional help is a good idea for me); trust me, and your dog will love it too, particularly when you are both panting and trying to catch your breath.

If you do not think there is a Stooges influence in their songs, you are musical moron; and I feel extremely sorry for you (don’t know what the Stooges sound like? STOP READING THIS REVIEW NOW! I mean it!) because you either have Alzheimer’s or you just are horribly educated and deserve a mountain of pity for your deprived state of being. Anyway… Songs For Burning Lovers is a raucous half hour or so to get all sweaty while it plays; Burning Love will almost assuredly make you want to get off your ass and move, and this album will most assuredly prove it.