To describe an album as ‘solid’ may connote it being average, unremarkable, functional. But in the case of ‘Woke in the Devil’s Arms’, ‘solid’ is what it is, and it’s definitely a good thing. By ‘solid’, I mean it’s consistent in quality without being dull or samey, and overall extremely satisfying. It’s a rock album in the sense that it uses conventional rock instrumentation of bass, drums, guitars.
The title track makes for a stomping, energetic start, and it’s by no means the only track that demonstrates the Sea Kings’ capacity to rock it. When they do slow it down, as on tracks like the piano-led ‘Moonlit Range’ they manage to avoid the plodding ballad trudge, and over the course of the album’s 10 tracks, they show themselves to be a band with a knack for tunes that are accessible, with swagger and in places a folky / punk edge but with sociopolitical bite.
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The Smithsy ‘Bible John’ has an infectious melody and nagging guitar jangle, while ‘Is Paris Burning?’ is a mid-pace anthem reminiscent of The Alarm and has an evocative nostalgic twang to it. ‘Scarecrows (or Greetings from the United Front of the Future Farmer’s Revolution)’ is a gritty rocker. Meanwhile, the folk stomp of ‘Decadence and Decline’ is both gritty and lively, and not without a tinge of inward-facing anger, and contrasts with the brooding ‘Across the Coals’ that closes the album.
‘Woke in the Devil’s Arms’ is sincere, honest and well-crafted. Rock solid.
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