The Truckers

The good thing about a band’s tentative first album debut is that it seldom sums up their entirety, in terms of talent and range, thus leaving a considerable amount of room for progression and growth. Hopefully Quebec metallic hardcore unit the Truckers agree. It’s not that Get Rich or Drive Trying is completely plagued with substandard tunes, more that in such a well-populated genre one would think a metal band would make more of an effort to separate themselves and shine. The potential is here: vocalists Renaud Lambert and Patrick Bernier Martin explore highs and lows with moderately smooth transitions, while the other members demonstrate a solid understanding of what makes metal so heart pounding. Adding an interesting twist to the album is the band’s effort to keep their French roots intact while appeasing English speaking fans. Four of the ten songs are completely presented in French, while "Transpire Assis” tiptoes in both. Despite these minor highlights, Get Rich or Drive Trying fails to come across as memorable, instead offering listeners safety in familiar and typical-sounding metal songs.