With a band called Gallows — on a label like Epitaph, no less — one might not be expecting the most uplifting or positive musical vibes from a British quintet dressed like they’re ready to go to a funeral. Then again, if you’ve been to Britain during the winter, you might understand why the group might choose to dress that way (or look a bit on the glum side). And just to solidify their stance on society, their lyrics couldn’t be any more straightforward: “We have no fear, we have no pity/We hate you, we hate this city.” The boys were banned from playing the House of Blues by Disney, after all — and if you heard the first few seconds of the track “Misery”, which sounds a bit like a cross between a military march and a funeral dirge before it gallops into a full-blown, old school thrash/punk hybrid, it’s apparent the band is only being truthful with such a moniker. It gets better: the track ends with what sounds like a pig being slaughtered, or maybe in heat. But the boys get bonus points for saluting the British metal sounds of the late 70s and early 80s (check out their somewhat unfaithful but undeniably true-to-their-own-sound cover of Maiden’s “Wrathchild”). They’re coming to get you, OOOOO YEAH. Oh yeah, check out Red Bull Music Academy for more.
