Graveyard Train
Hollow
Reviewed on 4 June 2012
Rated 8 out of 10
Key Track: Key Track: The Doomsday Cult Blues
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Graveyard Train are one of those bands you always hoped would succeed. It must be something to do with the way these guys manage to transcend any kind of restrictive genre classification, and consistently and so inspiringly avoid the zeitgeist mould.
The moment Hollow starts spinning, the album instantly conveys the dark and beguiling aesthetic that makes Graveyard Train one of Australia’s most exciting and compelling acts.
Steeped in dank and ominous mystery, conveyed by reverb-soaked guitar whines and stomping, snare-cracking drums; each offering on the eleven-track record recounts a tale of testimonial woe, encapsulated by the band’s signature chain-gang chanting vocal harmonies.
“Get The Gold” sets the tone for the record in its opening sentiments that seem as if they are swathed in a sepia-ridden wash, while the album’s first single “I’m Gone” does everything to whip listeners into a frenzy of crunching, bass-drum driven rock and roll.
“The Doomsday Cult Blues” could be a feature on the darker ends of a Nick Cave and The Bad Seed’s album and easily hold its own, while “Mary Melody” captures the aesthetics of the band almost as precisely, as languorous steel slide guitars whinge along to a snare-buzzing shuffle; while baritone gang-vocals growl in a harmonic testimonial “goodbye Mary Melody, I only have eyes for you.”
It’s man’s music! Not to be gender-restrictive, as everyone should give Graveyard Train a listen, but the overall effect of this record certainly seems to convey a distinctively Y-chromosome demeanour.
In doing so, Graveyard Train have created a captivating and distinctly unique record that should certainly see the band enjoying a well-earned degree of success upon its release.
- Morgan Benson
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