Album Review: FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES - Modern Ruin

01. Bluebelle

02. Lullaby

03. Snake Eyes

04. Vampires

05. Wild Flowers

06. Acid Veins

07. God Is My Friend

08. Jackals

09. Thunder

10. Real Life

11. Modern Ruin

12. Neon Rust

I was psyched for this album, as I really liked their debut Blossom. I've seen Frank front Gallows a number of times, and his reputation as one of the craziest, unpredictable and engaging front-men in modern rock is well deserved. The last time was at The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent and I remember the gig finishing early because Frank had to be taken to hospital mid-set with blood pissing down his face. Every show got people talking and gave the press plenty to write about.

I really enjoyed his next band Pure Love and the one album they released. It was a considerably more commercial and melodic band than Gallows, and Frank received a lot of unfair criticism for it. Fuck those people. It's a great album and worth a listen! Soon after the demise of Pure Love, Frank returned with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and their debut album Blossom took a much more aggressive path and was clearly heavily inspired by Frank's Punk roots. That brings us to this new release.

Modern Ruin starts off with the minute long melancholy ballad Bluebelle with some quality crooning vocals to set the tone for this bleak and angry album. What I really like about Modern Ruin is that there are a lot of clean melodic vocals which ooze passion and give the songs way more depth than screaming alone can. The rhythm guitars are savage and there is an undeniable energy throughout, so Frank's singing never at any point detracts from the raw emotion exuded from the songs. It's multi-layered and shows that there are more creative sides to Frank than we've previously heard. There are plenty of great tracks on here, and no weak moments. My personal favourites are Vampires, Lullaby and Wild Flowers.

To my ears, this album draws from the best elements of Gallows and Pure Love, and mixes those sounds with classic Punk such as The Damned and The Stooges, adds a twist of Arctic Monkeys and gives it all a huge shot of adrenaline. I'm pleased that Frank has pushed the envelope musically and hasn't regurgitated former glories. Modern Ruin is a vibrant, passionate and  genuinely interesting record, reaffirming Frank as one of the UKs best contemporary artists.