Gallows – ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ (Warners) Released 11/06/07

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months chances are you’ve heard of Gallows, as the Watford based quintet have been setting fire to a scene stagnant with the decaying bodies of their contemporaries. Gallows re-release ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ after inking a deal with Warners just to remind the few punters yet to be given a nose bleed or get a covering in spit and sweat from one of their ferocious live shows, that hard work and an even harder focus on creating music that is so passionate it sends shivers down your spine will always prevail. For those of you not familiar with these boys – listen up!

The sheer power coming from this album is inescapable. From the opening verse of ‘Kill The Rhythm’ that sees the tattoo canvas that is Frank Carter bursting into scream-worthy challenges upon those unwilling to move at a gig, and with lyrics like “there’s a reason to be moving on the floor” shouted at you through the stereo at full volume, you ain’t gonna argue with him. The tunes come flying at you fast and hard with each passing minute. ‘Come Friendly Bombs’ hits out with a lo-fi riff before punching through the airwaves in full force as Steph and Laurent bring in some seriously powerful riffs, where newest single ‘Abandon Ship’ is almost impossible not to move to, as the band wreak barely controlled havoc against any would-be half hearted listeners, a theme explored to it’s full extent within this album.

With an aesthetic that is ‘play as hard as they can every time’, and a stigma of an extremely heavy hardcore band surrounding them, it is surprising as to just how catchy Gallows songs are, and how easily they make a mark on your subconscious, that will no doubt manifest itself in helping you to annoy commuters on the bus as you hum along to an imaginary stereo in your mind, just don’t re-enact any air guitar moves that are bound to come out whilst listening to the immensely catchy ‘I Promise This Won’t Hurt’ or ‘In The Belly Of A Shark’, where Steph pulls out an absolute face-melter of a solo whilst the rest of his cohorts aurally induce comas left, right and centre with their violent brilliance in sonic form. Their punk and metal roots are worn on their sleeves for all to see, yes that’s a given, especially with tracks like ‘Rolling With The Punches’ and ‘Stay Cold’ that are fast as they are furious with mighty riffs and frantic drums, but they just have an instantly likeable flair about them that will appeal to all sorts of music lovers.

There are shout out loud, sing-a-long worthy chorus lines all over the place, backed up against a vitriolic wall of passionate vocals from Carter, and an arsenal of powerful rock’n’roll musicians raging in their mission to make everyone hear them within a 15 mile radius on such tracks as ‘Will someone Shoot That ****ing Snake’ and the beautiful yet violent ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ that opens a trapdoor of emotion with lyrics like “The hardest thing/you’ll ever learn/is just to love/and be loved in return” giving in to a brief moment of vulnerability on Carters part. There is not one song on this album that lacks any sort of power or falls short in making the listener nod along or even thrash around as guitars wail and crunch, the bass causes earthquakes, the drums hurt and the vocals burst ear drums.

With a penchant for turning live gigs into a veritable fight-for-your-life affair, Gallows have captured the power and vitriolic prowess they exude onstage on an album that will no doubt be hailed as one of the best punk rock records in years. It’s a fight against lacklustre music and Gallows are leading the battle, just make sure you’re on the right side.