EP Review: Blackgold - E.P Phone Home
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the much derided and ridiculed genre that is/was nu-metal. On the morning that I learnt of the untimely death of Limp Bizkit bass player Sam Rivers, one of the pioneers of the scene, I’m diving headlong into a quartet who are at the centre of a British revival of the creative style, Blackgold.
There has plenty of buzz surrounding the mysterious masked musicians that have rocked the stages of some big European stages with their chaotic live shows, reminiscent of early Limp Bizkit gigs. “Has the whole world gone crazy?” is the opening line on “Crazy World” and it’s a song that has everything, a big bass sound, hard hitting drums, silky scratching skills, riffs aplenty and an energetic vocal. It also has that trademark build up in the middle part, that leads to an epic drop, which will have pits bouncing up and down the country.
There’s no let up and although “Wake Up” has a softer, more gentle build up, you almost know what’s going to come next. They take aim at anybody and everybody with their lyrics, and have another big sound around the choruses, with a bit of drum n bass squeezed in as well. As vocalist Spookz explains, “we had so much fun making this one and if you don’t get it, then the jokes on you”.
One thing I like about Blackgold is that they should appeal to a wide range of people, from older fans reminiscing to younger fans looking for something different. There’s a nod to Limp Bizkit in “Cash Rules” with the “dollar, dollar bill y’all” line, and the groove filled beats just keep coming with “Bring Noise”. This track has all the elements of the genre that first attracted me back in the late 90’s when it emerged.
However, it’s the last one, “Dance Like That” which hits me the hardest and gets my memory going, especially with the “bringing that nu-metal sound back” line in the chorus. It made me smile, and do you know what, that it worth it’s weight in (Black) gold as it makes me want to get up and bounce up and down whilst wearing my baseball cap and baggy shorts. They will of course have their naysayers and haters, but their combination of big heavy riffs and hip-hop swagger will endear them to many more and long may it continue.
