ALBUM REVIEW: Grand Collapse – Empty Plinths (TNSRecords)
Grand Collapse are a hardcore punk band from Cardiff who formed in 2011, and this is their third album.
If you’ve heard 2014 debut Far From The Callous Crowd or 2017 follow-up Along The Dew you know exactly what to expect.
But when a band do what they do so well, why change a winning formula?
Empty Plinths is 11 slabs of furious punk rock influenced as much by thrash metal as much as 80s US hardcore.
Calvin (vocals), Jon (guitar), Glenn (drums) and Blag (bass) make a glorious noise, and there’s not a weak moment here.
There’s anger and despair, humanity and compassion, all delivered in blistering fashion, set over a frantic d-beat.
And Grand Collapse have plenty to be angry about.
Furious opener Waves empathises with refugees forced to risk their lives fleeing hostile lands, only to face more hostility when they get here.
Pontificus is about the dubious morality of religion, while National Detective Programme addresses the Government urging people to grass on their neighbours.
The songs are generally short, sharp, with only a couple passing the three-minute mark.
The exception is the title track Empty Plinths, which closes the album, and is probably its highspot.
It’s a four minutes and 40 seconds takedown of all the values and virtues this broken country was built on.
With lyrics about “a Parliament packed out with coked-up clowns, warehoused animals bred for food; warehoused humans with numbers tattooed” it’s powerful stuff.
One of the few positive things about divisive times like these are the music it inspires. It just goes to show that whatever the government think, you can’t fool all the people all the time. 8/10.
- Empty Plinths is available on CD and four different vinyl variants from TNSRecords HERE.
