Battleme is the solo project of Matt Drenik from the band LIONS.
I first heard Battleme on the show "Sons of Anarrchy" where he did a couple of amazing tunes. One was the cover of Neil Young's "Hey Hey My My" and another one was a phenomenal song called "Burn this Town". Since then I was a fan of his music.
The self-titled debut album (out on Trashy Moped Apri 24th) is a bit different than the songs heard on Sons of Anarchy. On here most tracks are more in a indie rock vein. Vocally Drenik is not too far away from John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting fame, especially not when he hits his falsetto.
I must say I prefer the slower songs of the album. But the more up-tempo songs tend to grow on me as well. It is just that listening to a song like "Killer High" you hear a rawness to Drenik's voice that might get lost a little bit in the more fast-paced songs.
And I am not saying that the more up-tempo songs are bad, not at all. Songs like "Pocket Full of Flies" and "Touch" show that Drenik can handle them as well as the slower ones.
To sum it up; Battleme is a solid album. Maybe I would have wished for more acoustic sounds at first, but it does not really matter in the end. Because this album continues to grow on me every time I listen to it!
