This review was originally posted on Sputnikmusic.
There was a time in 2012 when we thought Frank Carter was finished with hardcore. With interviews criticising the hardcore scene and his new garage rock group Pure Love, he proclaimed that he was “so sick of singing about hate” and attempted to create a new positive image for himself. 3 years later, however, and after Pure Love failed to take off as intended, the project went on indefinite hiatus and Frank was close to quitting music. Thanks to the intervention of former Heights man Dean Richardson, though, he was inspired to make a last ditch return to the genre where he made his name. Enlisting former Pure Love live members Tom Mitchener and Memby Jago, The Rattlesnakes emerged to back up Carter’s triumphant return.
Putting on the new album, Blossom, you’re immediately blasted with the pummelling riffs of ‘Juggernaut’, a clear statement of intent that our favourite heavily tattooed ginger man is angry again and ready to take it out on the world once more, screaming “You can’t stop me / I am the Juggernaut!” as Richardson and co bring out the best elements of “Orchestra of Wolves” era Gallows with modern hardcore flavours and more melodic screams from Carter. Not all tracks have the pummelling hardcore of ‘Juggernaut’, though, as songs like ‘Trouble’ reflect Carter’s more melodic side – while not exactly “singing” like he did in Pure Love, the vocal patterns carry a lot more tonal variation than his typical hardcore yell, becoming something more like the 70s and 80s punk approach.
It’s clear that the band is not trying to be a spiritual continuation of Gallows, though, and is trying to be altogether its own beast with nods to the members’ past contributions (Richardson in Heights, Carter in Gallows and Jago in The Ghost of a Thousand). Overall the sound is much closer to old school punk rock but with a modern hardcore twist, which creates a fairly distinctive tone for Carter’s trademark British bark to fit seamlessly in.
Those familiar with the taster EP, Rotten, will recognise 4 of the album’s tracks including ‘Fangs’, ‘Paradise’, ‘Primary Explosive’ and hidden track ‘Loss’, which has been re-recorded to become a much heavier and more aggressive affair. Rather than cover political topics in his lyrics, Carter targets more personal events in his post-Gallows career, which means that some of the lyrics (such as closing track ‘I Hate You’) may come off as rather jarring but they’re reflective of Carter’s own experiences, and what made him make such a return to hardcore music. The lyrics are the main weak point to the purist, while those wanting nothing less than a “Grey Britain” or “Orchestra of Wolves” 2.0 will be sorely disappointed.
Overall, however, this is Frank Carter at the angriest he’s been for a while, and with a backing band containing such established musicians in its ranks, this is a triumphant return to hardcore for him. Whether the Rattlesnakes will remain as they are for the duration of Frank’s solo career remains to be seen, but they provide a powerful unit together which cannot and will not be ignored by the hardcore press. Frank is back and here’s here to stay.