Trouble - Manic Frustration

Released in 1992, Manic Frustration marks a turning point for the Chicago-based doom metal pioneers. For their fifth album (and final Def American release), the tempos were sped up and the lyrical focus shifted from Biblical prophecy to drug references.

Critically lauded and commercially ignored, Trouble may be one of the most enigmatic bands of the past 30 years. They dressed like hippies, but made a name for themselves carrying on Black Sabbath’s slow and gloomy tradition. Early releases featured strong spiritual themes, while their later work contains a stoner sensibility. Despite being enormously influential on the post-1985 metal scene (Dave Grohl recruited Trouble vocalist Eric Wagner for his throwback Probot project), several of the band’s releases are currently out of print and only available as digital downloads.



Manic Frustration stands out as Trouble’s masterpiece because it perfectly embodies these quirks and contradictions. To start with, it’s as sonically and lyrically diverse an album as you’ll come across. Guitarist Bruce Franklin does his fair share of shredding and riffing on hard-rocking tracks like “Scuse Me,” “The Sleeper” and “Come Touch the Sky.” “Rain” and the album-closer “Breathe…” feature a more relaxed pace and pop-inspired melodies. The band’s newfound emphasis on 1970s-era psychedelica emerges on “Hello Strawberry Skies” and “Mr. White,” while “Fear,” “Tragedy Man” and the title track waver between social commentary and more personal concerns.



All of these disparate elements seem to come together on “Memory’s Garden,” easily one of the best 100 songs I’ve ever heard. A dreamy, Beatles-esque opening gives way to Franklin’s thundering chords while Wagner (who sounds like Robert Plant, Dave Mustaine and Paul McCartney thrown in a blender) eulogizes a dead girl with mournful, majestic urgency.



If there’s one downside to all this variety, it’s that you don’t know how to feel by the time you’ve reached the end. Black Sabbath’s debut album is consistently dark; Led Zeppelin’s is consistently soulful (the first side, anyway), but Manic Frustration is…well…manic. Still, the emotional confusion is a small price to pay for something that rocks this hard with this much purpose. One can only hope that Trouble, along with the similarly-complicated King’s X, will someday get its due.



8/10