Hardcore bands and major labels still make strange bedfellows. There always seems to be a tension in the setup that has the band trying to sound selectively heavier, while the typically glossy recording quality tugs in the opposite direction. Why do labels insist in having producers and mixers like GGGarth and Andy Wallace turn their tricks on a band like GALLOWS? Wouldn’t the label retain more ‘cred’ (or look less foolish) if they just left these things alone and worked with people who know this sound and spirit better? I guess I’ll keep dreaming…

Grey Britain is a nearly excellent, and most certainly, a very good full-length. GALLOWS now have two releases to their credit that solidify their status as one of the UK’s most dominant hardcore/punk bands, and admirably, it’s difficult to lock them into any kind of subgenre. What sticks out most about Grey Britain is that GALLOWS shows off a huge arsenal of guitar riffs, many of which are far superior to anything heard on Orchestra of Wolves. “Leeches,” “Black Eyes,” “The Riverbed” and “Graves” are loaded with grizzled guitars, and a bass undercurrent that ought to measure on the Richter scale. Sharper songwriting, the well-placed rumbling of double-bass, and the natural maturity of Frank Carter’s pipes make GALLOWS an eminently formidable band. If you’re not singing along to the cathartic chorus of “London Is The Reason” you’re not using your faculties well.

So what’s wrong with Grey Britian? Not much, but there’s bloat in its 50 minute running time. Artsy interludes of dark passages… and they’re boring. There’s just no need for it. The first three mintues of “The Vulture (Acts I & II)” should have seen the cutting room floor. Let AFI wallow in chilled dollops of despair. Leave GALLOWS to the task of tearing your face apart.