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Gillian Carter

Lost Ships Sinking With The Sunset

Written by: PP on 27/12/2013 23:04:45

The spirit of old school screamo / skramz is high in this one. Gillian Carter, hailing from Palm Bay, US, are looking straight back at the late 90s in Saetia's direction for inspiration on their third album "Lost Ships Sinking With The Sunset", although I hesitate calling an eight track release an album when it lasts under 17 minutes. It's a monumentally explosive record that recounts all of the key characteristics of a great screamo release during its short-lived existence, an intense listen that grabs you from the breakneck speed powerviolence opener "Recently..." and doesn't let go until the lighter and more complex "Spring Song" eight songs later.

Throughout the course of the record there are two things that stand out from the release: the unbelievable levels of urgency and immediacy packed into their tight, intimate soundscape. No matter which song you put on, it feels like Gillian Carter are tearing their studio into pieces as their destructive force reaps through their aggressive soundscape, much like United Nations in their best songs. There are no compromises here, just pure feeling translated into a raging screamo assault that feels like it could revitalize the entire genre all by itself if it needed to. Luckily contemporaries in Kaospilot, Sed Non Satiata, Dominic, Traktor and many others make sure they aren't alone, but none of these bands have managed to compress their soundscape into as much insanity as Gillian Carter have done here.

It's especially noteworthy because it's not all just a dissonant, breakneck speed mess where some lunatic is screaming his vocal chords into shreds on top. Instead, Gillian Carter have a great sense for noisy/melodic contrasts, so oftentimes you'll run into a chaotic passage that'll quickly morph into twinkly tremolo melodies post-rock style, though these too are delivered with abrasive speed most of the time. However, they leave just enough room for these sections to create a sense of atmospherics on their record, a space for beauty to give some tranquillity for a brief moment or two, before it's time to tear everything apart again in yet another passage of some of the most chaotic original screamo you'll hear in 2013.

Download: Recently..., Sinking With The Sunset, Spring Song
For the fans of: Kaospilot, Sed Non Satiata, Dominic, Saetia, United Nations
Listen: Facebook

Release date 03.06.2013
Dog Knights Productions / Middle Man records