Artist: Gallows

Album: Death Is Birth

Genre: Punk

Earlier this year Frank Carter stunned fans by announcing he was leaving London Hardcore Punk mob, Gallows. Carter stated that the band were in a creative crossroads, and his ideas differed from the others. Shortly after Carter’s announcement, acclaimed Canadian post-hardcore group Alexisonfire disbanded with vocalist George Pettit stating two members had departed, and had ultimately led to the band splitting up. Wade MacNeil was one of those two members (City & Colour’s Dallas Green being the other,) and within days he was announced as Carter’s replacement in Gallows.

So you’re now up to date, how does Gallows version 2.0 sound? Well with Death is Birth coming in at a short 8 minutes, it could be considered to be a difficult task. Nevertheless MacNeil and company make an instant and heavy impact with “Mondo Chaos,” a riff-filled number with clear intentions showing this band are reinvigorated and passionate about what they’re doing. Whilst MacNeil quickly shows he is perfect replacement, as his raw vocals tear through the bands rough, thriving hardcore punk sound. Lyrically the band haven’t lost their way, with MacNeil declaring “Hey! Say fuck the world! I say it’s already fucked!“

“True Colours” is next and proves to a be a short, (36 seconds to be exact) relentless burst of hardcore thrash that doesn’t hold back. A pure aggressive, balls-out sound that ideally works for Gallows. “Hate! Hate! Hate!” keeps up the ferocious tempo with stabbing guitars and McNeil’s assertive and brash vocals being near-perfect fitting combination.

The title track rounds off the EP, and it is the clearest inclinations showing Gallows are back and have no plans to slow down anytime soon. Heavy guitars, roaring, passionate vocals and thriving drum work is what the track, and EP as whole, is all about.

Whilst the departure of Frank Carter, for some, might of meant the end of Gallows. It is clear the band aren’t giving up and are more than ready for what comes next, as Death Is Birth is a short, energetic EP from a band that is enthusiastic and excited about what they do. Although there is a lack of variation but with four songs in the space of just under eight minuets, it understandable and it is obvious the band have no plans to change or adjust anytime soon. Which is probably one minor criticism.

The addition of Wade MacNeil is more than welcome, as it is clear he is more than capable to holding his own and has quickly made his mark. The bands punk rock ethos is still very much intact and with this exciting collection of songs here, 2012 has a lot of potential for Gallows.

SCORE: 7/10

Review written by: Sean Reid

• Author
• Recent Posts

James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

Latest posts by James Shotwell (see all)

• 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
• Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
• UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015