Trying to find the words to start off this review are proving more difficult than I imagined. How do you even begin to describe a band with a sound that could fit on a stage for OZZfest 1997 and also on a stage for Rolling Loud 2027? A band that is able to blend the key components of metal, hardcore, hip-hop, and rap that helped explode the nu-metal scene back in the late '90s and early 2000s? A sound, by the way, that many seem to constantly attempt to recreate, but almost never in an authentic way? I guess what I am trying to say is that Gridiron is here with their new album Poetry From Pain and it is easily the best release of the 2020's.
This is a sound and a band that truly encapsulate the joy of playing music that makes you happy while taking no regard for critics and trolls on the internet. Each and every track on the album could have been released as a stand-alone single and would have done numbers across streaming platforms.
While I am loving every song on the album, the title track, "POETRY FROM PAIN", is standing out as one of my favorites. Come on, with lyrics like "Hope you find something to gain in my poetry from pain", how could you not be moved to tears while head banging and circle pitting in the kitchen? It seems that the band shares similar sentiments about the track, stating:
“It stood out as a bigger anthem, and it felt right as the title track. The basis of the song is the idea of Poetry From Pain; we’re using music and lyrics to express emotions. It needed to have some form of singing, and we were glad nothing, nowhere. was down. It’s our ode to Linkin Park and Hybrid Theory and how they went back and forth between singing and rapping.”
If you put a gun to my head and said to pick another track to choose as a favorite, I would have to give it to "ROSES (FT. MIKE "TRUCK" RYAN"). The song is an absolute banger and I keep finding myself playing it over and over as it exudes HEAVY. From the lyrics to the crunch of the guitar tones, the crispness of the snare, and the big tone of the bass lines, it is an all around incredible track.
If you're sleeping on Gridiron, I'd suggest waking up because the band is quickly amassing a large following across streaming platforms and it is only a matter of time before you catch the band performing from the back of a sold out venue. I know I will be hurrying to grab my tickets to catch them on The Summer Slaughter Tour which will be hitting the US this July.
