EP REVIEW: E.P Phone Home – BLACKGOLD
Oh BLACKGOLD, you scallywags. Nobody has a clue who they are or where they’re from other than it’s somewhere in the UK, but the masked nu-metal upstarts have been making a real name for themselves over the past couple of years, to the point they played a short, sold out tour last month and managed to get the likes of FEVER 333 and SKINDRED‘s Benji Webbe to guest on a couple of CYPRESS HILL covers, as you do. But, even though they’re about to disappear for a bit as they look to record their debut full-length, they’re leaving us with one final EP, superbly titled E.P Phone Home, out independently on Friday.
Nu metal was never exactly one for touching on societal issues, but BLACKGOLD have gone in head first with opening track Crazy World. Featuring a huge bounce reminiscent of LIMP BIZKIT, it talks about the shocking celebrity revelations of the past few months and years, namedropping the likes of P. DIDDY, KANYE WEST and Prince Andrew before sending out a warning that those who are still hiding skeletons will be outed eventually – ‘Brace yourself for the fall, motherfucker!’ is a surprisingly great mosh call. Wake Up combines the stylings of LINKIN PARK with the bravado of HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and even has a chaotic flash SLIPKNOT in the middle for good measure as BLACKGOLD beckon on any opposition with a big, bring it on attitude.
Cash Rules seems fairly self-explanatory, but it’s no ditty about having wads of notes and buying flash cars; there’s a serious message about financial difficulty and how it can so easily rule one’s life. Bring Noise, the only track to not be released prior to the actual release date, is far more upbeat however, although the sharp turn from riffs into old-school hip-hop territory is a little jarring on first listen. It ends with Dance Like That, which is an ode to the turn of the millennium and how BLACKGOLD are bringing that back – ‘get your baggy jeans and your baseball cap!’ cries the chorus, not long after the song has referenced both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Butterfly by CRAZY TOWN.
Deride nu-metal all you want, but it won’t stop the resurgence of the genre, and when bands like BLACKGOLD are using it as a vehicle to discuss real world issues, it’s not going to go away any time soon. This EP is still very silly in places, but there are enough moments where it shows teeth to stop it going overboard – and once again, it puts on full display just what potential this band has.
Rating: 7/10
E.P Phone Home is out now via self-release.
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