"Gutterblood have come up with a short but fabulous LP here that is as heavy and groove laden as it is raging with antagonism at the dreadful state we find the world in today. "
First up we have a new mini LP from a new band to me. GUTTERBLOOD launch their “Good Dogs Will Never Die” LP (Gutterblood Records) this month and I recommend you get it in yer lugs as soon as possible. I am told that the CVs of the band members stretch back to the likes of The Process (blimey, I remember seeing them play in Guisborough of all places many, many moons ago … another story for another time …), Oi Polloi and Gin Goblins so you know you are in for a raucous racket of some description and oh my, what a racket it is. My initial thoughts after a few listens were Killing Joke’s dark, repetitive mantras, Neurosis, if they dialled down the metal, Amebix’s atmospheric anarcho assaults and modern Post Punk like Idles if they were more of a DIY Hardcore band with the lyrical attacks of Subhumans or Crass. Quite a heady concoction I’m sure you’ll agree. Opener “24” is smashing. Like a rampant, dark disco, Post Punk stomp in a cave with hordes of deranged feral folk getting all frenzied and that in some archaic, ritualistic madness. A hard edged confrontational opener with a virtually spoken word vocal, a style that continues in the quieter moments of “The Great Escape” as the squalls of scalding guitar savagery take a lull. The doom laden Neurosis element is very much present in “Soliloquy” with heavy and morose atmosphere shovelled on remorselessly. Further dense and haunting atmospherics aren’t far off with the title track and remind me of Car Crash, a seemingly short lived Dublin band of a few years ago doing similar things. The pace is relatively ramped up for the incandescent anger of “Blue Flash Fantastic” which comes across like the script of a Ken Loach film taking an unflinching look at life on the poverty line in the UK today. Final track “New Man” heads back in to the laborious, dense doom of before. Gutterblood have come up with a short but fabulous LP here that is as heavy and groove laden as it is raging with antagonism at the dreadful state we find the world in today. Highly recommended. Dark music for dark times. If this were one of the movies I were watching this week I would have to liken it all to that scene in Alien at the start as the Nostromo lumbers monstrously through space with an eerie silence numbing the labyrinthine warren of corridors and rooms, the odd monitor blipping to life occasionally ready to awaken the crew to unspeakable horrors. Crumbs. Darkness indeed. (Gadgie Fanzine)
"If you hadn’t already guessed, I fucking love this album/EP and I wholeheartedly support and recommend the music and messages contained within, writing about it has been quite cathartic. "
Gutterblood first came to my attention with the release of their single with political commentator Bonnie Prince Bob, the excellent anti-monarchy rant that is Gardyloo and their excellent Hard Ghandi EP from whence it came. I’m glad to note that the outspoken Bob is back alongside Tom with some hard hitting vocals and lyrics when you pair that with founding member Andy MacVannan whose thunderous ground-shaking bass lines form the solid backbone of the bands sound, complemented by some heard hitting heavy riffing by ex-Gin Goblin Dave you have a band who are in fine fettle angrier and more forthright than ever.
If some people can’t see that politics exists in everything they do every day, then the joke is on them. I’m of the camp that says wear your passions and beliefs boldly and proudly on your sleeve, shout about them from the rooftops, and in the case of bands, if that means using your music to platform these principles and beliefs, then I’m all for politics in music. And so, it won’t be hard for any readers here to recognise that I’m all for the mighty Gutterblood and their hard-hitting punk with a conscience six track EP, Good Dogs Will Never Die, a more than worthy addition to bands catalogue of work.
The EP kicks off with one of the most uncompromising tracks in the EP, the single 24 pulls no punches and was initially released in response to the proscription of Palestine Action and in doing so highlight the hypocrisy of the Labour government in criminalising those protesting peacefully while doing nothing in the face of the ongoing murder of tens of thousands of innocents. Oh wait, they did say they’d recognise the state of Palestine if there was no ceasefire, ineffectual and too little too late. Starmer all over. I bet Netanyahu and his cronies were quaking in their boots. The song is a poignant warning and furious protest against the so-called war in Gaza, highlighting the case of just one of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians murdered in the name of Zionism.
The intro of the song has a sinister slow burn to it, the squall of guitars building alongside a background wailing vocal channelling an affecting sadness, like the wailing of families faced with the murder of their children. As the drums kick in and the guitars build to a crescendo, the number 24 is repeated over and again, before the wall of sound breaks with the proclamation:
Maimana Jarada she was 24
I can’t really put things better than the lyrics do, delivered in a staccato manner to drive the point home.
Yes, dead at 24, an innocent victim of a bloodthirsty Israeli state.
She was murdered by Israel…. and she is DEAD
There is a mid-song beak that brings to mind Bela Lugosi’s Dead, with it’s plucked electric guitar, the intensity increasing with the incessant background bass throbbing as the guitars and pounding drums build and meld together once again, the lyrics reaching a zenith as they drive the point home with the soundtrack becoming ever more frantic and aggressive, the anger palpable through the music.
The intro to The Great Escape picks up the squally guitar noise from the opening song before fading to reveal a stream of consciousness, an internal monologue which midway through takes a twist in direction and a turn for the worst, the change in focus of the verbal tirade signalled by a burst of dissonant noise which fades as the ridiculousness of West of Scotland sectarian hatred is laid bare as the cleverly worded lyrics spew out like the venomous hatred they represent. Let one of those meatheads hear this and guaranteed the subtlety of what is being said will soar over their heads, or fly through the empty space between their ears, as they shag their flags, and pledge allegiance to the king and ramble on about getting their country back and about free speech while getting their union flag boxers in a fankle when ex-footballers call out their fake nationalism for what it really is. Free speech eh?
The band follow up The Great Escape with an instrumental in the shape Soliloquy, another tune with a slow build to it, a slow bass line and singular drum beat signal the start of the track, before a guitar line is added and the drums fully kick in, the guitars layer atop that solid underlying rhythm, set by the bass as the tune builds with a potent fervour, then all at once the powerful melee ceases, to reveal the bassline once more, with squealing guitar lines and whispered voices bring the track to an affecting close, the last whispered voice introducing the next song.
Good Dogs Will Never Die has sinister undertones running throughout the song, the bass low and slow, matched with a twanging guitar line all of which complement the lyrical theme, “The kids need a new hero…” before referencing a “Tommy” in the lyrics… The song has eerily menacing laughter dispersed throughout which adds to the ominous threatening nature of the song, the addition of the melodica giving it a spaghetti western twist . A new hero…? There is an urgency to Blue Flash Fantastic that reflects perfectly the nervous energy and anxiety that come with the story told in the lyrics. The high intensity driving rhythm reaching a level that feels like things could spontaneously combust just as things culminate in the worst possible way for the protagonist. The message at the songs close a haunting indictment of the society we live in, where the rich are richer then ever and the poor getting poorer, the divide in between cavernous.
Closing off the EP, New Man picks up where Soliloquy left off as the intro fades and the crunching guitar riffs and pulsating bass lines build to a forceful potency verging on Ministry and Godflesh industrial rock territory, the whispered vocals return encouraging the listener to strain against the intensity of the instruments to hear the message about class and capitalism which pretty much underlines the whole album.
If you hadn’t already guessed, I fucking love this album/EP and I wholeheartedly support and recommend the music and messages contained within, writing about it has been quite cathartic. (The Ginger Quiff - Scotland)
"A new album from Edinburgh’s Gutterblood delivers an indictment of a brutal inhumane system using a varied range of musical styles incorporating elements of post-punk, dance, stoner rock, reggae and punk. Gets the thumbs up from Nathan Brown."
I was emphatic that Gutterblood’s hilarious take down of the new monarch, Gardyloo, was single of the year for 2023. Their Hard Gandhi 10″ was a glorious celebration of the politics of the gutter. I declared the message of the digital single 24 vitally important with its timing, as well as eerie and atmospheric. So, yes. This is going to be a positive review.
There is a distinct groove to Gutterblood provided by the prominent bass lines and drumbeats. Add to this a guitar that positively shimmers with post punk echoes then cuts in with noisier sounds and you have the basis for a varied, interesting, album. Gutterblood also borrow from reggae in places, understanding the importance of leaving gaps between the music rather than saturating every available second. Dub siren, space-rock whoops and synths provide an occasional “punk meets dance” vibe.
24, with its haunting start, driving post punk rhythm, experimental echoes and hard hitting words opens proceedings. It reminds me of the early to mid 90s when bands were fusing punk rock and dance beats. The Great Escape has a touch of The Pixies in the space between the sedate bass, thumping drums and the string bending guitar. Soliloquy also thumps along, but with a nod to Sabbath, and doom rock.
Good Dogs Will Never Die has a steady pace, dub echoes, space whoops, and floaty backing singing with a vocal drawl that gives this the feel of Velvet Underground collaborating with Gong at Black Ark. Blue Light Fantastic has more of the whooshing space effects while the wailing guitar embellishes a driving punky tune, but it is the words that are the centre of attention in this song. Dub siren heralds the arrival of New Man which descends into a heavy crushing stoner riff-fest.
This varying soundscape is the vehicle from which Gutterblood tell stories. They have a narrative approach to the horrors of this crumbling inhumane system. It is told through the people living in it, being relentlessly crushed.
There is the story of Maymana Jarada who was murdered by Israel at the age of 24. The Great Escape introduces two inhabitants of Gutterblood’s native Edinburgh with distinctly opposing views. The desperate story of what happens to a young mother when the money runs out unfolds in Blue Flash Fantastic. The systematic criminalisation of people living in poverty, and the role the police play in it, is laid bare.
The music of Gutterblood manages to cover many bases without sounding contrived. The album somehow sits together coherently yet is hard to pin down to one “sound” other than “alternative”. It’s expertly delivered by people who have pushed well beyond the confines of the punk bands like Gin Goblins and Oi Polloi in which they perfected their craft. Fans of post-punk and experimental music should check this out as I think it will scratch that itch. Anyone who got caught up in the heady days when punk and rave first collided will love this, as the groove combines with the politics. Theirs is a revolution you can dance to. Emma Goldman would’ve approved.
The 12″ version has a full colour sleeve and lyrics insert in a limited pressing of only 200. (Nathan Brown - Louder than War)
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