Back in the mid 2000s, I was pretty stoked to hear of a show in Philadelphia featuring the legendary power electronics duo Whitehouse, the band that had warning labels on their records saying they should be listened to at a low volume in order to prevent hearing damage. Needless to say, I was prepared for the show, wearing a pair of Remington headphones – the type you wear when you’re shooting firearms. Once at the venue, I was kind of shocked to see a group of middle-aged men directly in front of me smoking pot with no ear protection whatsoever. I bet those dudes are regretting that decision today, because even with protection, I probably got permanent damage.
Tinnitus is a real thing. It’s also the name of a track from Connecticut noise rock band Grizzlor’s upcoming album Hammer of Life. We’ve got it premiering here, and like vocalist/guitarist Vic Dowgiallo says in the track, “It feels like a hand grenade went off next to my head.”
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Honestly, this whole album is gnarly, aggressive, and more than a little warped, which I suppose is about par for the course considering the times in which we’re living. I had a chuckle at the PR pitch for this album stating that premieres from the record would “possibly disappoint a large portion of otherwise happy people.” I mean, it may be true, but aren’t all of us a little disappointed these days?
Hammer of Life releases October 1st and can be preordered from Hex Records here or directly from the band here. At this point, I should tell you to be responsible and play the track at a lower volume... but eh, fuck it. Crank it up below.
