Scenes One Through Thirteen

By Becky van Bussel

Hot Hot Heat is a punk-influenced band straight out of Victoria, British Columbia. Scenes One Through Thirteen is a collection of some of the band’s earlier vinyl releases and singles.


The glory of this CD is the combination of out-of-control screaming/singing, unrelenting keyboard pounding and merciless drumming. Notice the omission of a lead guitar, resulting in a sound that is interesting–an explosion of percussion and keyboards, a sound I think I could really enjoy in concert. There is an incredible amount of energy pulsing from this CD.


Unfortunately, the problem with Scenes One Through Thirteen is a severe lack of diversity. Each song begins with keyboards and incorporates heavy percussion with intense vocals.


I really liked this CD’s opening song, it was fun. However, the album began to lose its charm after hearing slight variations of the first track 13 times.