This is the third album from “The Rattlesnakes” and we have previously been taken on a journey through the darker side of life – that we go through periods of suffering, of not being understood and that we suffer through life.

Appropriately, “The End of Suffering” is about finding love (even if it’s complex) and experiencing fulfilment

“Why a Butterfly Can’t Live a Spider” is a smooth start to the album, where the rhythm of the track is as a heartbeat. It tells the tale of different backgrounds trying to come together in love.

“Tyrant Lizard King” features “Rage Against The Machine” guitarist Tom Morello and is filled with clever imagery, such as wearing ‘a snake as a crown’. “Heartbroken” speaks of troubled love, complicated by arguments, but that ‘when I close my eyes, I see a smile. I feel loved.’ It’s about a complex relationship that is still worthwhile. It features a killer change in tempo that leads into a slowed and acoustic finish that is stunning.

“Crowbar” is about not being put into a box, that when things aren’t right, you can take a crowbar to them. It kicks off with a machine-like start and the vocals are the star – they are easy to engage with, which is important, as every song on this album tells a story that is worth hearing.

Anxiety” is mind-blowing. By this time I found myself looking forward to the beginning of each track, as they are so very different and I wondered how each would kick off. It speaks of things being ok, that they don’t have to stay this way and that there is a better place waiting, where you can be happy. It speaks of working really hard and achieving, but still not being able to sleep. It speaks of it being ok to be broken, because there is still hope and that things will work out. It accurately captures the way that we have all felt when we are at our lowest. It is brilliant.

“Latex Dreams” is again about troubled love, wondering if the other person is still in love with you. “Little Devil” describes the person with a ‘violent mind’, a ‘lizard tongue’ and a ‘gator smile’ who goes around picking fights with everyone – we all know someone like that and have been at the receiving end of such attention.

End of Suffering” rounds out the record. It starts acoustically and ominously, building a tale of wondering what is wrong and right in a relationship and that one person feels under-qualified to be involved. Towards the end of the track, it slows down rapidly, stripping things back, taking elements away until the last note rings down into nothing.

This is an album that points out that things might be bad right now, but that they can get better. It shares that it’s ok to be under pressure and to feel bad, but that you can wrestle those demons, or even better, take a crowbar to them.

It’s about life and love: and understanding, accepting and embracing complexity.

It’s blunt, honest music at its best.

9/10

Review by Greg Noble