Ending 2023 with a blast, the Boston-based rockers Underdog dropped their 2nd album Trans Global Amnesia on the 31st of December 2023. After the positive reviews and plays their debut record Ether Dome gained, they are here again to deliver their special blend on Trans Global Amnesia. Let’s dig deep into it together.
Underdog opened Trans Global Amnesia with You Told Me, a raw tune with distorted riffs and a punk-ish attitude. It has blasting energy and a groovy flow with rocking bluesy guitar licks, kicking off the record with high energy. Leaning more into an old-school rock n roll direction Helsinki Airport Blues comes next with catchy vocals, irresistible shredding solos, and a playful groove, showing Underdog’s deep rocking roots and flexing their amazing skills. It has a spacious structure with a lot of room for improvisation that I guess will come in handy when played live. Building upon its predecessor’s sound and vibes, Summer Song comes next with unstoppable melodic riffs and enjoyable jazzy drums. It hits with big harmonies and a fast fluid pace, boosting the record’s dynamics and injecting more energy into its flow. New World Raga opened with a surprising eastern melody that smoothly builds up with a beautiful progression to a beautiful melodic riff, providing a psychedelic touch to Underdog’s mix demonstrating their diverse influences and bold character as they experiment with different sounds and approaches. Underdog steers towards faster sound again on Rocket Baby, shaking the mood once again while laying more of their addictive guitar licks and rocking bluesy riffs, all in a fun structure that maintains the energy high and makes sure everyone is off their seats jumping and moving around. Slowing their pace a little bit on Louie & Marie gave the riff a denser, hard-hitting sound as it went forward with a melody that reminded me of The Troggs’ Wild Thing, in a clever twist that gave Underdog’s sound a heavier fuzzy sound that works perfectly with their hypnotizing groove and melodic core. Echo of A Dream and Munchausen By Proxy both come with sharp melodies and storming riffs, introducing an interesting mix within their high-octane, dynamic structure that powerfully pushes forward with a heavy piercing progression and mood-breaking melodies. K-9 picks the same pace and flow in a brief, concentrated shot of rocking riffs and spacey melodies before moving on into Mallus Maleficarum. Mallus Maleficarum comes next with a darker sound, thrashing guitars, and pounding drumming, speeding with fast melodic riffs that bring some thrash/NWOBHM vibes that add a cool twist to their mix as we’re approaching the end of Trans Global Amnesia. Regeneration and Blow Your Face Off both restored Underdog’s classic rock vibes and bluesy groovy sound, ending the record on a high note with their rich, detailed writing and beautifully overlapped melodies. Their catchy grooves and fluid streaming flow kept things super interesting as they moved on with unpredictable licks and dynamic twists and turns where Underdog’s writing skills shine brightly, leaving their listeners playing the record again from the top.
Trans Global Amnesia is a solid record that shows Underdog’s diverse influences and how they creatively managed to mix them with their own vision and direction, creating a uniquely sounding record that moves freely between genres with a fresh and organic flow. Looking forward to more from Underdog, keep on rocking. Cheers!
