Breach of Trust

I was 12 years old the day my friend raided her brother’s extensive music collection and we discovered metal. We sat in front of the stereo listening to record after record, soaking up the wailing guitars, the melodic vocal cries and the heart-pumping bass and drum lines. It was exhilarating and freeing, a feeling that my idyllic youthful soul had yet to experience. The reason I share this memory is because I had that same discovery-driven emotion when I listened to the much-anticipated, new release from Saskatchewan’s Breach of Trust. The self-titled release continues to mine the band’s already diamond reputation with some of the most honest and organic rock songs this listener has heard in a long time. Vocalist Marty Ballentyne has a rare singing talent and a predisposition for not holding anything back from the listener. He is virtually naked and raw on this disc, drawing followers like the Pied Piper. Ballentyne and Colin "Cheech" Cheechoo slither and weave guitar styles that are, no doubt, influenced by various artists. Each picks up morsels of the music they have grown up listening to (or what they are listening to now) and knead it into their own individually distinct flavours. What I like most about this Breach of Trust offering is that it is unencumbered with unnecessary flare. This band is pure rock’n’roll without being pretentious or trying too hard. This CD is pure instinct. You just can’t fake that.