Better Than God. RHEA

"We won't get fooled again", Roger Daltrey sang in 1971 on what these days is called "the lead single" of The Who's 'Who's Next' album. Well, I was fooled again, when I put on RHEA's album Better Than God recently. It all sounded like a very sludgy grunge sort of music, while the singer sang with a slow voice. Weird, but possible, I thought. It was the background vocal that made me doubt whether 33 RPM was the right speed. It wasn't. After pushing the button to 45 RPM another universe opened and made RHEA truly blossom.

RHEA is a Belgian band that like many other bands was caught by surprise when Covid hit, right at the moment when its EP was doing really well and the world appeared to be laying at its feet. Instead the world stopped and the band went into a struggle for survival. The motto of the Dutch province Zeeland is luctor et emergo and that is what RHEA did. The proof is its mini album Better Than God. Riffs fly around my ears and rock songs in the best Smashing Pumpkins tradition are interspersed with more than enough pop elements to provide more memorable songs than the Americans ever delivered.

RHEA was able to work with producer Dave Bottril (Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool). So how does a Canadian of fame get to work with a relatively unknown Belgian band? Perhaps because he likes the music coming out of the country. Look at his CV and you'll notice dEUS, Wallace Vanborn and others. For RHEA working with Bottril has led to a very mature sound. Better Than God sounds fantastic. The songs are layered in a way that without doubt will make it possible to discover new sounds somewhere in the mix for years to come. A note on a guitar here, an isolated vocal note, etc., etc. That aside, the sound as a whole is huge, just like a record like this should.

Press photo

As RHEA is making its debut on this blog, let me introduce the members. Jorg Van de Sande (vocals), Guillaume Lamont and Hannes Cuyvers (guitars), Matthijs Machtelinckx (bassist) and Dajo Vlaeminckx (drums). These guys know how to rock, The guitarists play some great riffs to rock out on. All without forgetting that songs need a melody as well. RHEA has this combined skill, resulting in an album that never ceases to surprise.

Just listen how the album opens with 'Better Than God'. The song does rocks, can be sung along with and is danceable. It is so much fun. Next up, 'Creeping Through My Head' opens with this great riff and I'm sold. The background vocals, the one give the speed away, are fabulous as well. A rocking track with a pop voice in the background, like the 70s and 80s (Think 'Who's side are you on?'). What more does a person need? The rest of six song all comply from this point of view.

And that title? It does promise the ultimate, doesn't it? Look at from a different perspective nowadays it is a quite easy feat. It was Nietzsche who declared God dead well over a century ago. And if I'm to believe writer A.N. Ryst, God is gaming his days away and left us all to our own devices, with an interesting role for the devil at that. ('De Harpij' is a great novel!) Should they both be wrong, the title track is a great feat indeed. I can imagine that having a song like this wil make the RHEA men feel 'Better Than God'. Just from listening to it, I'm inclined to agree.

Better Than God promises a lot and delivers. Even if you've heard this kind of music all before, and yes, you'll have, another album this good is always welcome. Give a try, folks, you'll not be disappointed.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can order Better Than God in the PIAS store:

https://store.pias.com/release/472155-rhea-better-than-god?lang=en_GB