After some tempting singles releases, here is the full-length debut album by the Bitter Pills. The band has been together for quite some years now and I have been waiting for this debut for a long time now – it doesn’t disappoint. It is a heavy beast of an album characterised by intensity.

‘FU’ opens with impossible heavy guitar and excellent drums courtesy of the superb Chris Cooper that remain a feature of this album throughout.

‘My Desire’ continues the vibe created on the first track alongside the immense sound created by the two protagonists there is a splendid double tracked vocal. What a groove!

‘Bad Monday’ is a wonderful track with superb dynamics. ‘Serotonin at an all-time low’ – it won’t be after a quick infusion of this gem.

‘Set Me Free’ is like an amphetamine rush it really is a complete joy with a Tom Morello-esque guitar solo. To say, once again, that this has a tremendous groove would be a massive understatement and the drums are quite extraordinary.

‘Something To Say’ builds to a crescendo almost immediately and never lets up. 

‘Scream My Name’ slows the pace a little, but not the intensity. It has definite Jack White vibes to it.

‘Bittersweet Memories’, for some reason reminds me of Black Sabbath, it is an immense sounding song.

‘Shattered Dreams’ is the most punky song, in terms of energy, tempo and vocals, but it is far more inventive than the usual fodder.

‘Would You Lie To Me’ is quite a measured though no less intense song.

‘So Glad Your Mine’ begins with some very inventive lines before the band settles into a fantastic groove with a superb riff.

The album concludes with ‘When We’re Gone’ a song that is as remarkable for its use of strings and piano as it is for the wonderful crescendo that the song builds to. It is a wonderful song that concludes a wonderful album. 

The album is undoubtedly much, much heavier than anything else that I have reviewed in these pages. However, it is played by two outstanding musicians who have graced our scene for many, many years and it is a delight to see how their creativity has taken them in a different direction. I take my hat off to and salute Nico Sc’erri and Chris Cooper for creating masterpiece of its type and I would urge anyone with the slightest penchant for heavy music to give this a whirl, I think that it is superb.

Nick Kemp

Buy your copy of ‘The Bitter Pills’ here