Review: Ben McMillan sings again on ‘Gruntruck’

Gruntruck never really got their due. The band got together in 1989, drawn from the ranks of various other Northwest outfits (Skin Yard, the Accused, Final Warning), and began making a name for themselves as the Northwest music scene took off in the 1990s; opening for Pearl Jam, touring with Alice in Chains. They released the albums Inside Yours (1990) and Push (1992) — and then got into a legal dispute with their record label that put their career on hold. Members began leaving, there was a final EP (1996’s Shot, Illusion, New God), and then, nothing.

But the original lineup (Ben McMillan, vocals, Tom Niemeyer, guitar, Tim Paul, bass, Norman Scott, drums) reconvened in 1997 and began recording new material. Then they faced a new obstacle; McMillan’s failing health. There were further sessions in 1998, 1999, and 2003, but McMillan’s health problems remained serious, and he finally died due to complications from diabetes in 2008. The remaining band members didn’t have the heart to continue; the album was never released.

Fast-forward nearly a decade. Scott Blum, who released last year’s 7 Year Bitch album Live at Moe, was considering issuing a similar live release of Gruntruck. Then he learned there was an entire album the band had never put out. Ace producer Jack Endino (who’d worked on some of the original sessions for the proposed third album) was brought in to do some clean up work, and the band’s final testament is now finally available.

Though branded with the “grunge” tag like other Northwest rock acts that emerged during the 1990s, it really didn’t fit them. Gruntruck’s hard rock definitely had more of a metal cast to it. But this isn’t a group that disdained the darker, minor key elements of alternative rock either. They’re a tough band; check out “War Flower,” which starts off with a bit of rockabilly-style riffing, then brings the hammer down as the full band crashes in. “It’s Alright” is thick and crunchy, with McMillan’s strong voice comfortably riding on top; close your eyes and you can just see the moshing. The ominous “Build a Hole” burns hot, with a soaring vocal from McMillan during the chorus.

Speaking of vocals, take note of the four tracks from the band’s final session in 2003. Since the band had last been in the studio in 1999, McMillan had become so ill, he was actually in a coma for several months. But you’d never guess that from these heroic performances. Look how he takes command on the opening track “Bar Fly,” a song that takes the stage with a confident swagger. On “Reverse Angel,” his voice is to the fore in the mid-tempo number, giving you a chance to really hear what he can do, which, on this song, is a dive into the blues. “Spy” treads similar terrain, a steadily churning number with McMillan’s fuzz-tinged voice moaning “lock and load, lock and load!” A track from that session also closes the album, “Flange,” a slow burner, and the longest number, running five and a half minutes. It’s as close as McMillan gets to crooning, in his intimate declaration, “I’m so glad you’re excited/I’m so glad I’m invited” — at least until he leaps up an octave at the end of the sequence, leaving the band to pick up the baton and run with it (which they do). And the ending is great; a slow fade to black.

For a band that didn’t get the breaks they deserved while they were together, Gruntruck is a fitting tribute to what they did manage to accomplish. Fans of the band won’t be disappointed.

(Check out the video for “Noise Field” below via Facebook and you can purchase the album HERE.)