Album Review: WEAK13 – They Live (Self-released)

They Live is the self-released debut album from WEAK13, a huge name within the British underground rock scene. WEAK13 is made up of Neel Parmar (Drums), Wesley Smith (Bassist) and Nick J.Townsend (Vocals & Guitar). You can pick up a copy of the album over on the bands official website.

Opening with a bang, the hard rock stylings of WEAK13 are instantly pleasing to the ears. A punchy start, My Own Summer With You has a catchy beat consistently throughout & as a start it sends a hell of a statement.

It’s hard to categorise They Live as it has a number of different styles, rock, metal, punk…you name it, you’ll find a bit of it here. There are many moments within certain songs that just jump out at you such as during Down on Me. It lays the bass on heavy (a lovely throbbing sound in the background) while Sex Pest has a nice groove that fits the lyrics perfectly as well as some stellar guitar work.

A lot of why this album is such an addictive listen is the vocal work of Nick J. Townsend, the man behind WEAK13. Little tweaks here & there as well as changes in pace ensures each song never sounds too familiar. The raw sound of They Live isn’t going to be for everyone but those who enjoy a more rough bite will get a real kick out of it.

Ashes in Autumn is a real highlight of the album thanks to its catchy chorus & chuggy guitar moments that brings some serious heaviness. That same gut-rumbling guitar tone makes a welcome return in Cameras are Everywhere, a song that is goes on a tad too long & has some distracting vocal effects.

That’s followed by the weak sounding Here Comes the Drones, a song that never reaches its full potential having a boring beat & repetitive lyrics. The Happiest Undertaker rescues the album though with its upbeat nature before the impressive, Loyal Coward offers something fresh & unexpected.

They Live ends on a hell of a song, Obey the Slave is a wonderful slab of rock with some serious on point lyrics.

“Don’t start a revolution, have a revelation instead”

It’s a fine finish to an album that deserves to be heard by anyone who enjoys raw sounding rock music. 11 Songs long & coming in at 42 minutes, They Live is an album that mixes many genres up but turns it all into a highly impressive listen.

Overall Track List:

1. My Last Summer With You
2. Down One Me
3. Joke
4. Sex Pest
5. Ashes in Autumn
6. Closure
7. Cameras Are Everywhere
8. Here Comes the Drones
9. Happiest Undertaker
10. Loyal Coward
11. Obey the Slave

We’d like to thank WEAK13 & Stencil PR for providing us with a copy of the album for this review. If you’d like to know more about the band check out their official website where you can pick up the album as well as some merch. You can also check out the band over on their Facebook page, sample some of the music on their Bandcamp page & see their latest videos on YouTube.