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It’s vital for the maintenance of Gallows’ present profile that they curb their enthusiasm for experimentation and pushing the envelope of aggressiveness to some degree, and by doing this sensibly, they’ve produced an album that’s big on surprises but that also ticks the essential boxes of heaviness and melody.
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While the listener is largely swamped in this sense of horror and disgust--which no doubt makes the point--Gallows are also concerned with some kind of catharsis.
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Gallows are the sound of this country's rising fury. And people in power need to listen, because if it spills over, there'll be trouble.
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Alternative PressGrey Britain sports some decidely non-punk maneuvers in the form of piano-concerto codas and unnerving sound effects that elevate the band from mere street-punk cliches. [Jun 2009, p.104]
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MojoAn antidote to pop bands masquerading as punk, this is the real deal--ugly, and utterly English. [Jun 2009, p.98]
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Q MagazineGrey Britain is at once more accessible than its chaotic predecessor, "Orchestra Of Wolves." but also harder hitting. [Jun 2009, p.122]
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UncutGrey Britain builds upon its predecessor without diluting any of its rabid energy and grinding, oppressive negativity. [Jun 2009, p.86]
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Shifting into metalcore territory is a tricky decision, since a lot of their initial appeal was due to the fact that they were making their own personal stamp on revitalizing punk--a genre that's becoming increasingly saturated with commercialism. Here, they seem less unique.
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It's not like they intended to win over Lady GaGa fans with their scantily clad synth-pop, but ended up making a unremittingly gruesome prog-punk album by mistake. And there's no getting around the sheer power of the music, which grabs you by the throat and pins you against the wall, the better for Carter to scream in your face.
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Grey Britain has important things to say, but due to the lack of any direction or mission, it allows itself to be eaten up by the anger that fuels it.
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Trimmed down to a good 35-40 minutes, and with a producer like Kurt Ballou instead of the more polished-sounding Garth Richardson, this might have been the provocative, inflammatory second record that Gallows fans had hoped for. Instead we’re left with yet another young band whose reach far exceeds its grasp.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 14
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Mixed: 0 out of 14
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Negative: 3 out of 14
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Sep 14, 2010
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EricK.Oct 4, 2009Favorite album of the year by far.
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NickJun 26, 2009I have to say that this album is crap.