Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a record that justifies the hype, 4 Jun 2009
I wasn't a fan of Gallows when they first appeared. But pretty soon I realised I was just stuck in that hypocritical funk of hating any band that gets successful, so I went and bought 'Orchestra of Wolves' to see what all the fuss is about. As a long time punk rocker and metal fan my response was lukewarm. It was a good hardcore record but nothing I hadn't heard before and better. Seeing 'Grey Britain' in my favorite record store I thought I'd take a punt, see if they'd grown. And boy how they've grown.
Grey Britain is not just a collection of songs like the previous album, but a work of art to be taken altogether. It's a portrait of a decaying modern Britain that many listeners will recognise. It's difficult to describe how immense this record sounds and I'm not goin to attempt it, but it's a world away from their debut. Yes it's still aggressive metal tinged hardcore punk, but it's far more focused, heavier, angrier and the use of classical elements is sublime.
For all it's nihilism it actually fills a long-vacant niche in mainstream music as a record that feels like it actually matters, and as such, perhaps by accident, leaves you (or at least me) with the naive thought that maybe society can be redeemed somehow if enough people wake up. Just don't ask me how that would work in reality.
Either way it's a powerful record that simply must be heard.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gallows grey britain , what can i say fantastic, Angry, pissed off follow up, 1 Jun 2009
I must admit i hated the gallows at first, when i saw pictures of them in magazines i thought they were just the latest bunch of pop punk brats!! how wrong i was, they were just what i was missing from my music collection angry, straightforward PUNK! a band that sounded as if it was pissed off,
and this is just what this cd "grey britain" is,, its about being pissed off!
The recession has hit britain and frank carter and the boys are truly angry and pissed off with the way britain as become, you can tell this as the album gets bleaker and more angrier and somewhat darker(or greyer as they put it) as the album goes on.
Having only been a fan originally of their singles, i went back and listen to the First album in full and now this and im still not dissapointed
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"We wanted to make the heaviest album we'd ever heard", 30 April 2009
I loved Orchestra of Wolves.
The album suceeded in capturing a raw energy wrapped in a sense of fun; something few bands have ever pulled off in the same way, let alone on a debut album.
Frank Carter's desperate vocals, while lacking in beauty and even quality, were just a part of the Gallows machine that churned out a noise which, when assembled, actually proved to be one of the most entertaining harcore punk albums ever.
(It may be a little overplayed but it's still hard to beat a well timed `In the Belly of a Shark' in a crowded room.)
For the second album, I was looking forward to saying that it offers something new and fresh in this world of moshing dancefloors. I was also looking forward to saying that this is more of the same 'brilliance' (only in inverted commas for the band's critics).
However, I'm not sure I can say either.
The sound is undeniably familiar, but with twists here and there - a common second step is to push the boundaries of experimentation - to make for an interesting listen.
The band is, 3 years on, all grow-ed up. The guitar and drums are at the top of their game, injecting as much if not more energy than Carter's shouting on the first album. (The guitar in particualr did show potential in Orchestra of Wolves - see 'In the Belly of a Shark' - but the band was more focused on an overall musical picture, in case they messed it up...)
As good as the improved guitar and drums may be now, they do appear to have messed it up. The first album avoided exactly this. Let me explain.
Much to my sadness, Frank Carter is simply not as fantastic as he was first time around. He is not awful (on a scale of 'shouty-anger', of course) but is far eclipsed by the instrumentals, something which cannot happen in a band like Gallows. Other bands have failed here in the same way (many bands, from the Editors to Fightstar can arguably be accused of this, but I'd choose the worst of Black Stone Cherry as an example) and Gallows made a point in their first album of using Frank Carter's 'different' vocal stylings to contribute, as I have said, to that all-important overall noise. The different aspects need to support each other more than this.
Do not be disheartened! The songs might be worse than the first album, but that does not mean they are bad songs. Baring in mind I have not listening to Grey Britain extensively, I cannot say for sure I am in the proper mindset. It is likely that, as I'm sure many listeners of Orchestra of Wolves found, Grey Britain takes a bit of getting used to.
So I can forgive the album... up to a point.
That point unfortunately must be 'In the Belly of a Shark' (or 'Orchestra of Wolves' (the song)). `Unfortunately' because that point is hard to reach, let alone superceed.
Any songs looking like they'll match up?
The first that caught my eye/ear was most definitely 'I Dread the Night', the highlight for me (though i must admit the last 3 songs have eluded me).
The other song, the first single, is 'The Vulture Acts I & II'. I didn't like this song. However, I predict it to be a (huge?) success, so long as Radio 1 are paid off enough. Frank Carter actually sings, my friends. For all Gallows fans, I would hope the news would be disheartening. It's not an completely awful song, it's just very odd considering the Carter quote which is the title of this review.
So the new album's a little strange, a little wierd, and it will take a little getting used to. I feel assured that the album will not, for me, be the soundtrack that Orchestra of Wolves was. However, I have a suspicion the last 3 tracks will even the album out into something that will beg for a few listens and then will draw you in to the same dark (darker perhaps, or maybe just grey-er) world of moshing dancefloors.
Gallows seem to have sidestepped the mainstream (with the exception of 'The Vulture'), and when put like that I'm sure I sound optimistic.
For fans wanting a fix, you'll be missing out if you don't give it a try.
For those who weren't convince by the first album, by all means give it a try too but I would say try to understand Orchestra of Wolves first - it's a better starting point.
For anyone coming into the Gallows scene on the second album (why should there be such people? not sure, but there may be a few), I doubt you'll be grabbed unless you're a stubborn listener.
What's worth saying is that the band have always been first and foremost about live gigs, and I reckon that with the studio stripped away, this would be a blistering night out, maybe even turning into more of a spectacle than their last album live.
The only thing I feel I can end with is saying:
It's no Orchestra of Wolves and I think everyone will appreciate that, but whatever you do, don't knock it just yet...
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