'Worship and Tribute' Glassjaw

By Nate Seltenrich

Above and beyond the likes of radio-friendly Limp Bizkit, Korn and System of a Down, there exists a wide world of less prominent modern hard rock bands that deserve your attention.

Enter Glassjaw, who combine elements of post hardcore, emo, metal and indie rock into their latest release, "Worship and Tribute." The poignant final product simultaneously pays homage to the bands musical roots and advances the sound of hard rock.

This album is not easy to listen to, but it's even harder to put down. The music is so piercing and direct that it strikes you like a dagger and moves you like an earthquake.

"Worship and Tribute" is, as it's title suggests, an intense and honest album, both lyrically and musically. Lead singer Daryl Palumbo poetically bares his soul time and time again over a complex backdrop of heartfelt instrumentation.

"I'm crying in the beer of a drunk man / Crying," Palumbo screams above the crunching guitars and beating drums of the first track, "Tip Your Bartender."

"You like to carry my heart in a bag thats broken," he later laments at the opening of track five, "Pink Roses."

Palumbo's dynamic and inflected voice only intensifies the effect of his intelligent lyrics and Glassjaw's fierce music.

Track four, "Ape Dos Mil" and track six, "Must've Run All Day" are slower, more melodic songs that prove that Glassjaw can get the job done on both ends of the rock spectrum. They also serve as brief relief from the aural and intellectual assault that Glassjaw performs so well.

"Worship and Tribute" showcases a clearly talented and musically inspired hard rock band in Glassjaw. These two valuable attributes should help establish Glassjaw as a standout in their expanding field. A