Album Review: Goldblade - The Terror of Modern Life
- Written by Jono Coote
Goldblade are a band that have been lurking in the punk rock deep for almost 20 years now, putting out a steady stream of records and spreading their soulful punk rock ‘n’ roll through non-stop touring. Previous album Mutiny was on heavy rotation for me when it was released, so I was fairly stoked to hear The Terror of Modern Life, their first album in four years. On first listen, it sounds musically more ambitious than the sing-a-long raucousness of previous albums, although this is never far from the surface.
Opener ‘This Year’s War’ in particular demonstrates the band’s trademark sound at its best, with a distorted bass guitar underpinning some surf-influenced guitar licks and John Robb’s unmistakeably hoarse but melodic shout. Similarly, ‘Psycho Takes a Holiday’ is a straight up punk assault with fist-pumping gang vocals that should get people moving at shows. Third track ‘The Shamen Are Coming’ is the first song to slow the pace down, with an industrial feel to it, which is perhaps not surprising given that John Robb’s previous band The Members played an important part in the development of post-punk in the north of England. ‘Serious Business’ is an Ruts-esque exploration into dub punk which doesn't seem quite successful, but The Clash evoking sounds of ‘We’re All in it Together’ bring things back on track with its biting commentary on David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’.
‘Someone Stole my Brain’ is a standout on the record, sounding like a British NoMeansNo with East Bay Ray on guitar – displaying commendable eclecticism within the field of punk music, and also drawing attention to the US and Canadian hardcore influences which seem stronger on this than on the band’s previous outings. ‘My Mind is Like an Atom Bomb’, on the other hand, is a blast of UK’82 fury which hits like a sandblast to the ears before the comparatively melodic punk blast of ‘Sick/Tired’, which should provide the record’s loudest chant-a-longs live. The latter third of The Terror… sees the band go into overdrive, creating a whirlwind of buzz saw guitar and pounding drums that should have the most comatose listener up and dancing. The surf guitar licks sit well amidst the mix, while Robb’s shouted social commentary stays just on the right side of comprehensible. Just when you thought you were in safe territory however, the title track appears over the horizon like some kind of monstrous sludge beast, bringing the album to a close and again bringing to mind NoMeansNo’s peculiar brand of noise rock. Clocking in at over eight minutes in length, it is a chugging, distorted fuck you to those uncomfortable with innovation in punk music.
As made clear above, the album manages to draw various influences from within the world of punk whilst still sounding cohesive and driving throughout. The album’s lyrics deal mainly with current social and political issues, with proceedings lightened by tracks such as ‘Psycho Takes a Holiday’, but musically the one theme that comes across is that of a love letter to punk music in all its forms. The group clearly love doing what they’re doing, and that’s what makes this album such an enjoyable listen.
The Terror of Modern Life is out on May 20 and available from amazon