Glassjaw with Haste, Christiansen and Alexisonfire at the Opera House, Thursday, September 19. Tickets: $15 advance. Attendance: 700. Rating: N
Rating: N
Last Thursday at the Opera House, I was subjected to a painfully trite showcase of predictable aggressive guitar lines and shallow rhythms topped with unintelligible, shouted lyrics. You have to wonder if the continuing glut of crappy bands who insist on making noise under the guise of creation is really an elaborate practical joke made by the music industry, in order to convince kids that these are quality products.
The overwhelmingly underage crowd did seem to be thrilled. But Haste banged out some of the worst excuse for hardcore and metal I’ve ever heard, complete with roaring that resembled Godzilla demolishing cities.
Can you blame the listeners? Look what they have to choose from: bubble-gum princesses, boy bands, American Idols and pop punk bands are being shoved down their throats. So they opt for the lesser evil, and eat the stale bread fed to them disguised as cake.
When Glassjaw — billed as the boys set to bridge the gap between emo and nu metal — slowed down, or when lead lungs Daryl Palumbo opted to sing rather than kill his vocal chords, there were glimpses of possible talent.
It is a shame that the lyrics were indecipherable. I checked them out through other avenues and can say that, despite an unhealthy obsession with what they call whores, there is some writing ability at work. I can also allow that they do sound a lot better on recordings.
It’s amazing how far a little bit of talent will get you these days.
