Grail Guard: Die On Mars

Grail Guard – Die On Mars

(self released)

DL

Out Now

Don’t judge the band by the name. West Midlands Grail Guards’ latest single is a mighty fierce chugging hardcore tirade aimed squarely at Elon Musk.

With a name like Grail Guard you’d be forgiven for expecting a bunch of LARPers who play doom metal or grindcore, writing their songs by rolling a 20 sided dice. Far from singing about the exploits of Arthur Pendragon or a band of armed hobbits, Die on Mars was written as “a retaliation to the ongoing behaviour Elon Musk shows to his employees”. Whether Musk’s super sized ego will get to hear this or see the cosmonaut inspired cover art is not the point. Grail Guard are letting rip anyway.

There is no grind or metal here. Instead this 5 piece from the West Midlands hurl a fast, furious, chuggy, hardcore song at ya. The chug is up to Seven Seconds or Paint It Black levels, but there is a very British shouty sound to this. The song bangs and crashes along with a catchy crew vocal chorus “Die On Mars” before slowing to a break down half way through. This builds back up into a crescendo powered by some mighty snare fills and topped with a really neat rockin’ guitar solo that really ups the stakes. The way the guitar kicks into that last segment gives off the same energy that Dr Know injected into early Bad Brains songs. On the subject of those crew vocals, the band themselves say ‘The visceral gang vocals of “DIE ON MARS!” echo the sentiments of the 1000s of employees laid off from their jobs.’

Video provided by the wonderful Mick Fletcher over at top punk rock internet radio show Just Some Punk Songs

Get the single on Bandcamp

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Words by Nathan Brown. His Louder Than War author archive can be found here.