“Without you, my words fall upon deaf ears.”
There must be something in the air over in South Carolina, as the music coming out of the state just keeps getting better and better. SC natives God Glitch were born out of the dissolution of past band Candescent, an event that one could argue was for the better, as evidenced by their upcoming debut album, Carving A Name Into The Spine Of Tragedy. And as you can probably guess by the title, you are in for a deep, emotional roller coaster.
This is a dark album, one full of anger, sadness, and anguish. This album is a man on his hands and knees, with his pain flowing right out of him. Carving A Name Into The Spine Of Tragedy is an album that allows you to release your bitter resentment and your sorrow, packed full of lyrics that revolve around loneliness and the cynicism and despondency that come along with it.
Vocalist Brayden Gibbs screams about feeling like he’s forgotten, and the bitterness surrounding that. The feeling that no one will come to help until it’s too late. In the album’s heartbreaking closer, “They Only Notice Once The Chance To Speak Is Gone”, Gibbs cries out, “Without you, my words fall upon deaf ears. I speak but no one listens, I’m just a ghost to the crowd”. It’s a harsh reality, but one that unfortunately seems to ring true in real life for many people. These dejected ideas are projected throughout the album’s duration, leaving you with a sense of unrelenting dread.
Whilst the lyrics may seem very despairing, God Glitch also knows how to keep the energy up throughout the entire album with some incredible math-tinged metalcore. Guitarists Nathan Beaty and AJ Fabricius showcase their talents, pulling off some insanely intricate guitar work in “All We Ever Needed Will Fail Us In The End”. Whilst their sound is distinctly their own, they don’t shy away from where they draw their influence from, either, with some of this being audible across the album. Tracks like “We Speak In The Language of Collapse”, for example, would fit in seamlessly on Underoath’s Lost in the Sound of Separation, something which deserves real praise.
Between the walls of breakdowns and intricate guitar work lies some beautiful drum work from Matt Kucek and phenomenal bass work from Robert Gaynor, which is particularly noticeable throughout “I Felt The Weight Before I Saw The Wound” and “A Match Made In Heaven (Set To Burn In Hell)”. God Glitch also brings in illustrious vocalist Sean Vandegrift (of the legendary From a Second Story Window) on “All We Ever Needed Will Fail Us In The End”, which proves to be one of the highlights of the record. Tracks like this, and “My Lungs Are Black And So Are My Intentions”, show the band’s mastery of their instruments, something which, on a debut release, truly sets them apart from the pack.
It would be indolent not to mention the album’s opus track, “And In That Moment, I Finally Understood What It Meant To Be Forgotten”. While this is a completely instrumental track (bar some voicemail tracks playing throughout), this is the track that evokes the most emotion. It starts with a phone ringing, with no one picking up, as the guitar fades in. You start to hear voicemail messages come in as no one answers, saying messages such as “Just thinking about you and we love you”, and “I’d be happy to hear from you”, when the most gut-wrenching breakdown hits you. The band put everything into this track, as the despair and anger just pour out. As the breakdown fades, a beautiful little piano number and synth pattern introduce themselves. A disembodied voice sends things out, saying, “I don’t want you to drown in the sadness”. A beautifully poignant track, it conveys exactly what God Glitch is trying to accomplish here, down to a tee.
Carving A Name Into The Spine Of Tragedy truly is a wonderful first effort from the band. Their intentions were clear, and they damn near achieved exactly what they set out to do. Whilst there are one or two tracks which arguably overstay their welcome, it’s hard to argue that in the grand scheme of the release that they’re unjustified, especially since they push the narrative forward. If you’re a fan of technical metalcore and/or soul-crushing lyrics, then this is the album for you, and if that’s not your thing, then there’s still surely a track or two that you can walk away from this album obsessed with.
9/10
Carving A Name Into The Spine Of Tragedy independently releases on Friday, October 31st.