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With enough sexual references to make you feel dirty but not sleazy, D.R.U.G.S. brings a refreshing sound to the currently stale rock scene.
Formed by a number of talented musicians from experienced backgrounds, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, better known as D.R.U.G.S., played the Summit Music Hall last Saturday, April 2, as part of the Alternative Press Tour, to an overwhelming crowd – only a month after releasing its debut self-titled album.
D.R.U.G.S. is comprised of musicians from other bands, including vocalist Craig Owens of Chiodos, bassist Adam Russell of Story of the Year, drummer Aaron Stern of Matchbook Romance, guitarist and vocalist Nick Martin of Underminded and Matt Good of From First to Last.
Despite being categorized as a “super-band” composed of musicians from previously well-established bands, the group hopes to exceed any doubts regarding the ability of typical “super-bands.”
“The term ‘super-band’ is so douschey,” said Russell. “We’ve refined our tastes regarding our music and paid our dues as now seasoned musicians so we’re going into this not with low expectations.”
The sound of D.R.U.G.S. is simple according to Russell, Martin and Good.
“We’re grindcore ska Australian rock,” said Russell, jokingly.
“I just tell people we’re an alternative rock band,” said Good.
“We don’t want to put a label on ourselves. Nobody really knows what all the genres mean anymore anyways,” said Russel.
Infused with the melodic vocals of Owens and witty lyrics taken from his personal journals over the past year, D.R.U.G.S.’ songs embody a sense of unity and self-empowerment. Solid bass lines and breakdowns give their music an edge among the rock scene in that every song doesn’t sound the same.
At the same time, D.R.U.G.S. incorporates more rhythmic verses and complete songs in to their album and performance.
While every track may not sound the same or may not measure up to the standards of previous bands they have been members of, D.R.U.G.S. has no fear when it comes to “selling out.” As Good points out, only one independent record label is present in the current music industry.
“We want to be as big as possible and reach as many fans as we can,” said Martin. “Selling out isn’t a possibility for us.”
The audience’s participation is integral to their performance and success, which they openly acknowledge through the fact that their album was released on Feb. 22, and a little over a month later a packed audience is singing every word back to them.
“It’s indescribable,” Russell and Martin said together. “Every expectation we had going into this tour has been exceeded by the level of acceptance we’ve received from fans, and it keeps getting better the longer we go through the tour.”
Their stage presence creates various sexual references that emphasize natural sexual tensions in a serious yet thrilling manner, ranging from songs such as “Sex Life,” which state “If you had a sex life would you even worry about mine,” to Martin’s moaning between verses in a hyper-sexualized fashion, all of which add an additional element of amusement and animation to their performance.
D.R.U.G.S. will be releasing its second music video for “Sex Life” today, and the band will perform at Warped Tour on Aug. 5 at Invesco Field in Denver.
