I found out about The Saigon Sickness through their previous band Voyager who released a ground breaking album in 2001, and I’ve kept an eye on them since.
Voyager disbanded in 2004 and naturally things got quiet for a while, but when the first SS demos started surfacing on the web I was yet again blown away by the 0originality and emotion these guys were presenting.
“Invocation Of My Demon Brothers” is not an album you can use as a soundtrack while doing other things. It demands your full attention, both musically and lyrically. Believe me, cause I learned it the hard way (falling into tears when masturbating and listening at the same time). This is heavy shit. Through the blazing chorus of “Dusenberg” into the epic masterpiece “I Lost My Brothers To The War”. The latter being the key track of this album. Diverse and lyrically overwhelming to say the least. Other highlights include “Dear China”, “Nail Bite” and “Burn Bridges Burn”.
When I asked them about their main influences they came up with the following:
20% Soundgarden, 10% Misfits, 20% anxiety, 10% death, 25% Queens Of The Stoneage, 5% The Killers, 10% Motorpsycho.
Personally I don’t agree with these influences, except maybe for the anxiety and death parts. To me this band is impossible to categorize. In a time when everything and everyone has to belong somewhere, the true innovators are slipping through the cracks.
T. L. Young
