By Monk
Soul Glo explode out of Philadelphia with the ferocity of a cornered Rocky Balboa and the destructive power of a nuclear bomb, laying waste to all in their path with their take-no-prisoners, politically charged anarcho-hardcore meets old-school hip-hop mixed in a hyper-charged blender.
Despite their relatively innocent sounding name, which might suggest a ‘70s disco tribute band, Soul Glo come across like the bastard children of an unholy union between RATM, the Beastie Boys, Cro-Mags, Iggy Pop, The Dictators and just about every NYC garage/’core band you’d care to name, with generous doses of early Public Enemy thrown into the mix for extra spice.
Filled to the brim with punk energy, I have two criticisms of this otherwise impressive debut, which does contain some neat metal touches, especially in the bass work of GG Guerra, as evinced most effectively on ‘The Thangs I Carry’, on which he channels his inner Lemmy, and the subtle funk undertone on the otherwise anarchic ‘We Wants Revenge’.
The first criticism is that Pierce Jordan does tend to come across like a three-year old throwing a tantrum in the sweet aisle of his local five and dime ‘cos his mommy won’t buy him a Hershey bar. When he concentrates on the acerbic acidity of his messages, then he is on point: but there is more than one moment where you can just feeling him stamping his feet and screwing his eyes shut to squeeze out the fake tears.
The second criticism is that they do tend to overplay the “downtrodden black artist” card. Come on guys: that hand has been dealt and replayed for the past three decades. Music is beyond colour. It’s about attitude and talent: and, believe me, Soul Glo have plenty of both, producing what is, at its core and essence, perhaps the most exciting blend of rap and metal I have heard since Ice Cube’s ‘War And Peace’ duotych.
Just to be clear, I am in no way denigrating the social injustice messages which SG are seeking, quite justifiably, to emphasize and highlight, but those social injustices permeate all levels of society. I should know: I live in what is regarded as one of the ten most deprived areas of Northern Ireland. And it is only right that any band should use their music to highlight such issues… but, when a band uses it’s PR material to practically say “you should listen to us because we’re black”? I’m sorry guys, but we should listen to you because you make music that is impactful and relevant – and that is exactly why I listened to this. So, well done in that regard.
- ‘Diaspora Problems’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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