Same Drug New High by Gluecifer

Gluecifer
Same Drug New High
Steamhammer Records

Since 1994, Gluecifer has been lighting fires in the rock and roll, punk, and glam mirror ball scene, until it burned out in 2005 when the band broke up. Then came 2018, when they reformed to make a comeback, kicking down doors and claiming every stage they stepped on. The fires are truly relit, and it was only a matter of time before new songs emerged and a new album was born. It’s been 20 years, after all, since their last real record.

Same Drug New High is a solid staple to the punk lexicon, driving fury like a steam train into oblivion. This is a band that has aged with maturity, yet they make their sound flow as if it were expressing raw teenage angst. It all sounds fiercely advanced where a soung like “Armadas puts them into a new frame of mind.

A song like “The Idiot” gives off that ‘90s punk muscle via Supersuckers. But then a track like “The Score” turns into a big arena rock attitude that chugs with intention. You can feel the force. As it pulls apart the fabric of sound in the chorus, you can’t help but turn up the volume. Then they send the song to the next level in a sort of Aerosmith-meets-Monster Magnet ritual.
On “1996,” the song professes: “Because I’m broke, and you’re broken.” This is a testament to a band that has absolutely nothing to lose. Finally, you have a song like “Made in the Morning” that feels like vintage Judas Priest resurrected and polished to a brilliant shine.

The band didn’t just rewrite themselves—they imagined what rock and roll can be: unapologetic, progressive, and powerful.