V Festival!

Gallows: Grey Britain

Gallows

Grey Britain Release date: 4^th May 2009

Grey Britain opens with the bleak sounds of the River Thames; a rising crescendo of strings unfolds and subsides into powerful guitars. Gallows are back, with a vengeance. London is the Reason is classic Gallows, matching the vibrant energy of debut Orchestra of Wolves with a darker timbre. The end of this song is spectacular, a frenzied mix of frenetic guitars and gang vocals. Leeches and Black Eyes are similar bursts of hardcore.

Next up is an anthem, definitely a stand out track on the album: I Dread the Night. A chaotic riff-laden concoction with pounding drums, this track certainly is “serious as a heart attack”. Carrying on in a similar vein, Death Voices gives way to a haunting piano and strings section. This leads well into Act I of The Vulture, an acoustic track where vocalist Frank Carter makes a temporary departure from his harsh-throated yells, singing tenderly instead. Following this tranquil interlude, Act II, a more intense, rockier version of the song, has a greater impact on the listener.

A wail of sirens signals the start of The Riverbed, one of the heavier songs on the album. This continues with The Great Forgiver, a severe detonation of hardcore. Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil makes an effective appearance on Graves, his ethereal vocals augmenting the overall timbre of the track. Chugging guitars on Queensberry Rules culminate in a evocatively grand ending. The forbidding strains of a string section paired with piano set the scene for Misery, offset by more gang vocals and heavy bass. Some excellent guitarwork on Crucif**ks is followed by a phenomenally beautiful orchestral section. This is an appropriately epic ending for one of the best rock albums of the decade; Grey Britain definitely lives up to the hype.

Quick Reviews

/iheartcc - Computer Club - Like Editors, but even duller.
/callingmayday - calling MAYDAY - My ears are yelling "Mayday", this is boring!
/fakeproblems - Fake Problems - Laid back ska-style rock music, not bad at all.
/vaughanking - Vaughan King - The music is beautiful but his voice grates.
/boysinaband - Boys in a Band - As rubbish as their name is, their music is pretty fun to listen to.
/theseasounds - The Sea - I just don't like this. Yuck.
/thisissharks - Sharks - Please, let nobody ever think to put "punk" and "soul" together in this way again.
/666hellmouth - Hellmouth - Just another metal band.
/remedyrocks - Remedy - Run of the mill classic rock, but a lot better than anything else on this list so far!
/copyhaho - Copy Haho - They have a song called "You Are My Coal Mine". That should tell you all you need to know about this lot. Actually I'm not being fair, I ought to say something about the music, so here goes: ordinary indie rock.
/holystate - Holy State - You can certainly hear the post-hardcore influences in this band's sound, pretty good.
/saveyourbreathband - Save Your Breath - Pretty decent pop rock!
/bridesmusic - Bridges - Excellent melodic hardcore.
/chewlips - Chew Lips - Solo is an excellent single.
/caloriesband - Calories - Foals-esque indie rock, quite good.
/defeater - Defeater - Regular hardcore, nothing special.
/titusandronicus - Titus Andronicus - What a horrid noise. My poor speakers.
/thejoyformidable - The Joy Formidable - Their 8 track album can be downloaded for free. Judging by the tracks I checked out, it's probably NOT worth it.
/goldkids - Gold Kids - Pretty decent. Being hyped a lot, not quite sure it's worth it but the music is more enjoyable than the rest of this list.
/shotgunriot - Shotgun Riot - Very good, nice and energetic.


I'm not in a bad mood or anything, I swear I've just heard it all before.

Abandonment

I have not abandoned this journal...merely taken a rest from writing. And so, on to the real subject matter.


A: I am never speaking to you again!
B: Oh good, less earache for me!

Uniqlo have brought out a range of jeans in 16 different colours! Wow! And guess what, you can look like a prat in 15 of them for the low low price of £24.99!