Here we have the best pure punk band in the UK. What? Seriously. Prove us wrong. Okay, all right, so we don’t review a tonne of “real” punk on the site, and we push a lot of the same pop-punk bands that other credible music sites push, but we also like to think we know what “real” punk means. John Robb and Goldblade are the real thing.
Right from the start with the mighty ‘This Is War’ you can immediately get a sense of the raw energy and power that has always been a hallmark for Goldblade’s best work. Another standout part of this album, and something that gives it real strength is the choruses; they’re all pretty addictive and keep the pace at a constant. Our real standout track from the record though, is ‘Psycho Takes A Holiday’ and this one has some brilliant technical moments as well as passionate sing-a-long parts. Another favourite is ‘The Shamen Are Coming’; the progressive guitar parts and harmonies build to a fantastic crescendo, all the while maintaining Goldblade’s signature aggression. One more surprising offering from the record is ‘Serious Business’ which has some interesting influences spliced in with these chilled-out, infectious dub beats.
Meanwhile, ‘We’re All In It Together’ takes a harsh look at these tough economic times and the challenges that we face on a daily basis at the moment; it’s a bit of an anti-anthem, more than slightly tongue-in-cheek and very powerful, on the whole. The resounding guitar parts that overload ‘Someone Stole My Brain’ come across as a little darker than the normal Goldblade offering, but the message that we’re all becoming slaves to the great media machine is one that stands clear and true; and from author John Robb’s mouth, it actually carries some real weight as well.
Other tracks that are most definitely worth drawing attention to here, are ‘They Kiss Like Humans, Act Like Machines’ and ‘ Guilty’ – both of these are proper beasts that keep the album motoring forward, and cover a range of topics including consumerism and the more obviously in the former track, our reliance that we have on technology. The Final and title track, ‘The Terror Of Modern Life’, is over eight minutes long, and it’s certainly not the average punk belter. It builds, motivating the listener before the spoken-word vocals kick in and a wall of immersive sound takes over. It’s an interesting end to a passionate and driving collection of songs.
