“…Glitch Kill actually has promise.”
The press release for Carthage notes that its’ sole member, Damian B, is “best-known for his experimental metal project khost alongside Andy Swan (TACTICAL PAGAN)”. And that, “Over the years, he has been a part of Gauge, Deathless, 16-17, and Cortex.” Hmmm, I have never heard of any of these music makers. The press release describes Carthage as an “expedition…of shoegaze, post-hardcore, synth, noise rock, and post-punk.” I’ve heard of post-punk…I eschew genre labelling…and never heard of “post-hard core.” Regardless, I have been tasked with listening to the premier single, “Duskdawn.” This track should have been called “Duskyawn.” Or, to borrow a line from Spinal Tap for this simple assessment, “shit sandwich.” The teaser, released seven days ago on YouTube, has 113 views and zero comments to date. Neither the press release nor YouTube provided any additional songs. Perhaps in an alternate reality would I write a positive review, but not today.
The press release for “Reign in Spite,” a single for Glitch Kill, contains words that evoke harshness and intensity, including bone crushing, fury, storm, apocalyptic destruction, punishing, blahblahblah. Since the Glitch Kill release, to my sensibilities at least, harkens to the greatest thrash album of all time, i.e., Slayer’s Reign in Blood, I expected significantly more aggression. Having your lead singer wear some sort of bondage mask in a foggy black and white video fails to honor the genre. I guess the listening public agrees as Reign, released three weeks ago, has only 448 views and two comments. Despite my harsh words and lack of additional listening material, Glitch Kill actually has promise.
Danish rockers, Volbeat, formed in 2001 – or before Donald tRump became a politician. According to Wikipedia, Volbeat’s 2010 release, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven, achieved triple platinum status in Europe, and the band has toured with Slipknot, Gojira, Metallica, among others. Thus, there is a degree of respect within and outside the music industry. You may have heard of Volbeat’s tune, “For Evigt.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssFkvwCN_RY With their clean vocals, Volbeat reminds me of Sweden’s Ghost. “By a Monster’s Hand” is Volbeat’s latest single: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=AdykqjEJPnpqmD_8&v=UTUPgEse6_A&feature=youtu.be. This band must have a rabid following because the video has1,216 comments and viewed 266K times in ONE day! Volbeat releases its ninth studio album in June 2025, one month before the start of their four month tour, which will rock Canada, the United States, and Europe, but not Greenland. https://www.volbeat.dk/us/dates/ Go catch these great Danes at a venue near you!
