Andrew DuncanMorning Glory
War Psalms
Fat Wreck Chords
There is one thing that punk has been able to accomplish that metal has not. That is to take the elements of metal that we desperately want blown out of proportion and blow them out of proportion. That’s what Morning Glory does on their opener to War Psalms.
“Calm and Alarm” has the epic of all intros. With a massive amount of string scrapping and power chords that will blow you into your neighbor’s house. If the first 15 seconds does not convince you then you need to go back to listening to your rejuvinated Michael Bolton schtick. I also hear Celine Dion may be a good fit for you.
Once the band comes together look out. I’m exhausted just listening to the speed and precision of the drums. There is such power and fury in this band, it will blow your hair back.
Morning Glory – War Psalms
And there is no stopping this band. “Calm and Alarm” immediately goes into “Standard Issue” and reminds me of the immediacy of Hot Water Music. They take a hook and amplify it to the nth power. It’s like pounding a Monster Energy Drink and then chasing it with a Red Bull. There is so much expression Ezra Kire’s voice it will run off on you. Yeah, the melodies are very standard, but it all fits into the Power Punk paradigm perfectly.
You think you have a break into “Natas Bahind Me,” but they don’t even wait for the 1,2,3 to explode into a heart attack speed riff. The only downfall to this album is that every song is so over the top, there is not specific songs I could cite that are standouts. Sure “I Am Machine Gun” has horns. “War Dance” is vocally hypnotic. “Karry On” is a silly one minute ballad while “This Kool-Aid is Delicious” is as angry as a Refused song. Yet this album is one steroid rage of a wake up call, and these songs are that forks that pry your eyes wide open. You cannot ignore War Psalms so don’t even try!