Another review of *Trepanation*

[John A Swartz]

One of the on-line publications I wrote to back in January reviewed the
Brain Surgeons' *Trepanation*.  The 'zine is called "Cosmic Debris", and
the URL for the current issue is:
http://www.greatgig.com/cosmikdebris/april/reviews/index.html

Here's the text from the review:

                 THE BRAIN SURGEONS - Trepanation (Cellsum)
                           Reviewed by DJ Johnson
------------------------------------------------

 Way back in the pre-punk 70s there was an amazing band called
Blue Oyster Cult. Though they are largely remembered as a heavy metal
act, they were a whole lot more than that. They had a magic sound that
nobody else could even approximate. They had the ability to be heavy
and light at the same time. BOC recorded two of the most beautiful songs
of the 70s ("I Love The Night" and "Don't Fear The Reaper") and both of
them were macabre if you were paying attention. Heavy and light.

The Brain Surgeons have brought "the sound" into the 90s with their
second album, "Trepanation." Former Blue Oyster Cult drummer (and
co-founder) Albert Bouchard and his wife, rock critic Deborah Frost,
co-produced this collection of dark stories and soundscapes. Frost's
vocals cover a three and a half octave range and an even more
impressive range of emotions, from serene to furious, cold and
murderous in the blink of an eye.

The two covers are both outstanding. Robert Johnson's "Stones In My
Passway" doesn't get covered as often as it should, but The Brain
Surgeons give it the attention and power it deserves. Frost's hottest
vocal is found on their cover of "Ramblin' Rose," which she screams,
snarls, stutters and growls in a manner that exudes raw sexuality.
The rest of the band smokes on this track, too. There are a few spots
here where her vocals don't work, such as on "Medusa," where her power
seems to be too much for the track and she comes off as overwrought.
Happily, those moments are rare. Frost is one of the more interesting
vocalists to come along lately. Bouchard plays a ton of instruments on
"Trepanation," and he's damned good at all of them, but it's his drumming
that keeps everything crisp. He's still the master. And with songs like
"My Civilization," with it's multi- layered vocals ala "Dominance and
Submission" and even the deceptively light "Everything Is Blue," The
Brain Surgeons are creating classic rock that actually sounds like
classic rock.


John