Gothtober- Palladists : " Tenebrous Ways"

This punk band from DC does not worship Minor Threat, but instead pursues darker sounds. Vocall,y they are very much rooted in punk, but with the guitar tones, they use more effects to give a creepy touch to the otherwise in-your-face rapid-fire attack. When it comes to songwriting, they are as anthemic as the Misfits, or morbidly introspective as Christian Death, instead very much focused on their taunt lashing out. There are sparse gang vocals that cheer on the song as it maintains its breakneck momentum.

They do use samples to help build the mood of the songs, which is a step further than most punk bands go. There is a more dramatic singing employed on "Royalty" that helps dynamically break things up, and the guitar uses a little more nuance to break from the feral charge that powered the first two songs. The bass cuts through, which helps, as bass is the backbone of goth, more typically used to hold down the riff, and allows the guitar to paint a more atmospheric picture. While they do not go that far, it does allow for a more melodic sound. 

"Hands That Thieve" takes the gloom a step further, before exploding back into a rowdier mood that colored the first two songs. For the verse, the drummer is keeping things punk, while the guitar tries to give the vocals more room. More gang vocals chime in. The last song blasts off into a more manic punk frenzy and races to the finish line. I will give this album an 8 as it's more interesting than your average underground punk band by making the effort to flirt with darkness. 

pst494