“When the heats on, that shit will melt the ice in your veins.”
The rise of Gridiron was one of quiet impression, with no truly explosive moment where they “blew up“. Their debut record, No Good At Goodbyes, mostly flew under the radar. Perhaps what spurred some amount of interest was the fact that Gridiron emerged from Never Ending Game, Year Of The Knife, and Payback alumni. Even now, with their sophomore venture, Poetry from Pain, there has been no outlandish buildup. Despite that, there was increasing anticipation with each single release. As difficult as it is to remain consistent on your second album as a band from the standpoint of maintaining an engaging sound, Gridiron have managed to do so with Poetry from Pain.
From the outset, it’s easy to see the immediate appeal of Gridiron. Tightly rapped verses from Karll deliver a masterclass in terms of combining genres. The tone is set immediately, too, as “26/9” serves as a sequel to “25/8“, showing the tongue-in-cheek nature that Gridiron presents Poetry from Pain. Lyrics on “Mascot” such as “You’ve got 99 problems and the biggest ones is us” and “Pressure breaks pipes it will break you too” bring a wry smile to the face, yet are instances where frequent gym-goers will find plenty to revel in.
What’s evident across Poetry from Pain, as exhibited by tracks such as “Tombstone” and “Copycast League”, is how aptly structured it is. While there is nothing overtly expansive about the core of the record, there is nonetheless a satisfying audible element to it. Everything here seems in place as intended and works towards the sound Gridiron have tightly created, making for an easy but satisfying listen. Even with lyrics such as “You’ve got the finger pointed at me, you’ve got three pointed back“, having elementary simplicity, they find themselves working within the album’s sound.
One obvious difference from No Good At Goodbyes is the several features on Poetry from Pain. The most impressive of these is Daniel Son and Jay Royale on “Still Playin’ for Keeps (Big Umbrella Remix)”. Adding a vocally timbre bite to the track, it’s a stylised fit for those who spent their youth listening to rap titans such as 50 Cent in tandem with Poison the Well and Linkin Park. Missing Link add a fury to “Roses“, once again proving that anything the New York unit touches at the moment turns to absolute gold. The one obtuse element here is the nothing, nowhere feature, as this particular cameo delivers some pop-punk styled vocals that seem like they’re haunting the track in the background rather than offering anything of substance.
The likes of “Army of None” will please seasoned moshers with their swinging breakdowns, which are aplenty across Poetry from Pain. Even as the record closes out on its final track, “Paydirt“, it delivers another headbang-worthy breakdown. This, along with lyrics that many will shout along to, are primed to become a welcome addition to Gridiron‘s future live sets.
Ultimately, Gridon have once again delivered a well-pieced and performative iteration. While it won’t change the minds of those who weren’t overly privy to No Good At Goodbyes, those who did enjoy that record will find more to latch on to with Poetry from Pain. For Gridiron, that is what many of us can only ask for.
7/10
No Good At Goodbyes is out May 30th via Blue Grape and can be pre-ordered here.