CREEPER [6] are great. Their mix of dark, Alkaline Trio-esque punk and Icarus Line-like garage rock brings something fresh to the scene, and, once they iron out the kinks in their live show, they’ll definitely be a force.
One of the criticisms levelled at BABY GODZILLA [8] is that they don’t have good enough songs, but when you have a live show that boggles the mind every couples of seconds, that is a blur of energy, spite and wanton destruction do you really need songs? If the answer is still ‘yes’ then the fact that Powerboat Disaster is a total pit-starter proves that this is a moot point anyway.
After Baby Godzilla you wonder if GALLOWS [8] still have what it takes to create a similar amount of shock and awe in the live environment. It only takes a verse of opener Mystic Death for any fears to evaporate. Wade MacNeil looks every inch the hardcore superstar, throwing his not inconsiderable frame around with wild abandon. Where the Gallows of old were about nothing but nihilistic spittle this incarnation is much more varied, tracks from the recent Desolation Sounds album like Bonfire Season and Chains adding an almost Killing Joke-esque post-punk vibe to their live set. Orchestra Of Wolves still slays, obviously, but the Gallows of 2015 is a wild, and wildly different, beast.
