TROUBLE – Simple Mind Condition

There is a saying “Hope Dies Last,” and it is very fitting here. Many years have gone by when everybody thought Trouble from Chicago were long since gone – but still cradled the tiny flame of hope in the back of their Metal heart. Almost unbelievably, all are rewarded now with a new album. But, take it one step at a time, as it is very likely that not everybody reading this will be familiar with this old Metal legend, unless maybe one remembers the MER review of the debut re-release here.

After their first appearance on the Metal Massacre compilation series from Metal Blade records, they recorded the album called Psalm 9. After that, another two excellent Doom albums based on a strong Christan background were released before the band changed direction towards a more Rock, Blues, Stoner-oriented sound with their self-titled fourth release, which coincided with the change to a major label, Def Jam. After another good album, they were dropped, recorded their last CD in 1995, and disappeared from the scene. A self-produced and distributed EP called One For The Road marked a last sign of life. Until now, over ten years later, when the band finally suddenly re-emerged from oblivion to grace the world with Simple Mind Condition, which is their seventh studio album in 24 years.

Simple Mind Condition can boast to include four original members of Trouble. It seems none of them strayed too far from the original path, as the band continues almost where they ended. The straight songs are not so far removed from the original Trouble fan’s taste as some of the strange escapades on Manic Frustration or Plastic Green Head were, but they also did not dig up their Doom roots to copy the early sound. The new album is somewhere in between, but breathes the old spirit, which is also reflected by the fact that the opening track “Goin’ Home” was already featured on One For The Road, and now finally comes to regular album honors. But, that is not all — several other tracks are also short, straight and to the point: “Mindbender,” “Simple Mind Condition,” groovy “Pictures Of Life,” and the surprising ”Ride The Sky,” with its unusual use of wind instruments … all of these are great Rock songs that work just fine. But, also a more experimental track like the intense “The Beginning Of Sorrows,” dark “After The Rain,” slightly Proggy “Arthur Brown’s Whiskey Bar,” or the brilliant “If I Only Had A Reason” justify the purchase of this album easily.

By now, every fan of Trouble knows that he can not go wrong with this album. For everybody else, it is a good CD to check out, and this is reflected in the earned score. Trouble fans may add another 1.5 points and consider this inferior to the first four, but definitely better than the last two albums before Simple Mind Condition. For the Metal fan not familiar with the band, it must be said that the whole sound is laid back, relaxed, sometimes even unexciting as in “Seven,” which is the only track that is definitely too long. On first listen, it is unspectacular, but grows a lot over time.

Still, it cannot get a straight purchase recommendation for everybody, as it is too deeply rooted in the 90s and just too far removed from modern sounds … some of you reading this may not choose to follow the old fans of the band down this road. Fortunately, every band is on MySpace today, and Trouble is no exception. Listen to the tracks there, and then be a good boy and buy the album, ‘kay?