MegaDestroyer’s “STEAM” Knows Its Rock History — and That’s a
Good Thing
You can usually tell pretty quickly when a newer rock band is borrowing from the past because they
have nothing of their own to say. That’s not the case with MegaDestroyer. On “STEAM,” the Omaha
power trio tap into the kind of sturdy, song-first rock foundation that a lot of modern bands either ignore or fumble, and they do it without sounding like a tribute act rummaging through somebody else’s record shelf.
There are flashes here that will ring familiar to anyone raised on real rock and alternative music, as the
track has a welcome sense of familiarity while remaining fresh. It’s nice that these dudes understand
that a song still has to be a song, not just a pile of guitars and unresolved feelings like so many modern
rock releases.
That’s part of what makes “STEAM” so satisfying. MegaDestroyer clearly knows the lineage, but they
aren’t playing dress-up in old clothes.
Maybe that shouldn’t be noteworthy, but here we are. Plenty of bands can name their influences. Fewer
can filter them into something that feels alive in their own hands. MegaDestroyer manages it. “STEAM”
has roots, but it also has its own pulse, and that’s more than enough to make me curious where they go
from here.
