The Smokin’ Prophets – Deceived Diseased (re-issue)
Having taken a break to pursue his Marty Mayhem and the Liabilities project, the south-coast rock n roller has since reformed the Smokin’ Prophets. The return also comes with a re-release of their album “Deceived Diseased”.
This time around the band have made it back into the studio, recording a couple more tracks. As a result, the album has seen a slight facelift, some of the old songs being dropped along the way.
While I stand by comments when reviewing the original version of the album (which you can read here), the reworking is still worthy of a mention. When “Deceived Diseased” previously came out in 2015, the only real complaint would be there were a couple of “filler” tracks.
The Smokin’ Prophets
As such, the fact 5 tracks have been taken off the album and only 2 new ones added, is probably a good thing. If you already have a copy though, you’re not getting anything overly new for your money, except for being the completist.
If however, you’re wondering what you’ve missed, the 2 main songs that have gone are “Pretty Sexy Thing” and the Kiss-influenced “Mr Rock n Roll”. Other than that, the Smokin’ Prophets have made the right choice about which songs to ditch.
As for new material, we’ve now got the addition of “Gonna Make it” and “Don’t Hold Back”. They’re both great tunes, very much in keeping with the original material. The first track has Marty letting rip on the guitar solo, while the 2nd shows his continued love of Swedish rockers the Backyard Babies.
It’s a shame there isn’t a whole new album on offer or even just an EP, but as a record “Deceived Diseased” will stand the test of time. File it in your collection proudly alongside the likes of Johnny Thunders and Hanoi Rocks. When it comes to checking out the Smokin’ Prophets live, they currently have the following bunch of dates booked:
18th May – Queens Head Rock Weekender, Ramsgate
30th May – Edge of the Wedge, Southsea
18th August – PunkDen, Hatfield
31st August – Hope and Anchor, London
17th November – Melbourn Rock Club, Royston
8th December – Gosport Punk Fest, Gosport
