Toadies : The Charmer

Toadies roared out of Texas in the mid-90s with a sound that combined post/punk, grunge, and jagged alt rock that saved Gen X ears from the likes of 3 Doors Down, Tonic, and Semisonic overtaking alt rock radio. Their debut Rubberneck was an angry collection of guitar-driven rock and punk. Their biggest hit “Possum Kingdom” was pretty dark by radio hit standards, and singer/guitarist Vaden Todd Lewis delivered it in a choking, bloody sneer.

Rubberneck‘s follow-up, Hell Below / Stars Above should have been even bigger than Rubberneck, with even better songwriting and musicianship, but as the sad story goes Interscope Records didn’t promote and let it die on the vine. Original bassist Lisa Umbarger soon quit and Lewis disbanded Toadies. He found some success with The Burden Brothers in the early 2000s, playing beefed up guitar bangers while keeping that Toadies spirit alive.

Vaden Todd Lewis eventually brought Toadies back and released new music(including Feeler, which was supposed to be Rubberneck‘s follow-up but was rejected by the label.) New album The Charmer feels like Toadies picked up where the 90s left off, a scorching rocker with Toadies signature guitars and Lewis’ gnarly vocals that haven’t seemed to age a bit.

The Charmer opens with “Ash’s Theme” a guitar/bass-led instrumental with touches of surf rock. “Come To Life” sounds like it could have been on Rubberneck, a garage rock vibe with a simple but effective chord progression. Title track “The Charmer” has a sinister vibe, all slow groove and a touch of melancholy throughout.

Songs like “Long Time”, “Damage”, and “Gasoline Jane” resurrect the spirit of classics like “Mister Love”, “Backslider” and “Little Sin”, while album closer “In Bandages” goes for a more melodic vibe to close things on.

There’s only a handful of bands still making great music 30 years into a career. Toadies may not be on everyone’s mind these days, but The Charmer is proof they’re still vital and Vaden Todd Lewis can still write a great song.