With a name like the Grillers, I was expecting cheerful ska punk with some parping horns and sing-along melodies, but the artwork of this release makes me think Sci-Fi, and the album title, ‘Soundwaves and Sunsets’, is total emo to put it frankly. As it turns out, the album title is the most indicative of the music on this release. The Grillers could be lazily lumped in with the rest of the post-hardcore punk scene fodder like Glasseater and Vendetta Red, but they have a much more aggressive, speedier, punked up sound.
The band deserve a lot of respect for their ethos, with no booking agents or management, and this CD being self released, very much indicative of the DIY punk rock background of this band. Recorded by Arun Venkatesh, who has worked with The Bouncing Souls, Shai Hulud and Thursday, this album packs a ferocious punch that hurtles along at a fast speed. There are only eight songs on this CD, but it works out as a good length to be a worthy introduction to this band. With three guitarists who all share vocal duties, the sound is thick and full, with vocals that never get bland thanks to the contrasting styles of the three guitarists/vocalists.
There are no stand-out tracks on this release, all of the songs are of a high standard, but ‘Cover Up On your Wedding Day’ wins most Emo song-title award. The music however is more akin to the melodic hardcore styles of Thrice than any arty-farty emo warblings. This band could probably have been a part in the explosion of this musical style over the past couple of years, but due to their timing, and possibly their DIY ethics, the band look likely to receive less notice than they deserve. This would be a shame, as this release contains some really good, promising music, especially considering that this is a first release.
www.thegrillers.com
Ben Gosling