William_the_Bloody

Grey Britain 2009

There were a lot of hardcore releases through the first decade of the century, and although the general consensus amongst many people is that Converge's Jane Doe is the best hardcore album of the 00's, I must dissent by proposing Gallows Grey Britain instead.

Yes it is true that Converge is an extremely technically proficient band, and that Jane Doe is flawless in these regards, but the album itself is punk turned inside out. Converge rose to prominence in the 90's, when hardcore was largely supplanted by post hardcore, bleak over perspective music that focused more on technicality and brooding, than the straight forward rebelliousness of the previous decade. This is reflected in Jane Doe, it is heaviness without melody, and bleakness without the f#ck you attitude of punk, Grey Britain on the other hand is the opposite.

For all intents and purposes Grey Britain is truly a well crafted album from start to finish. It brings hardcore back to its basic three chord rhythms, standard timing, and back up shouting vocals. It is bleak but uplifting, because the profanity and f#ck you attitude is straight in your face. This UK eulogy might not be as heavy as Jane Doe, but it sure is a lot more rebellious, and it contains one of my favourite hardcore songs of all time, Misery! So what can these $hitty punk bands do when a big record label throws money behind them?....apparently quite a bit.

**** stars, thumbs up, best hardcore album of the decade.

The Riverbank (Intro)



Misery




Queensbury Rules



Crucif#cks