I met Carl of Some Desperate Gory  at the show in Raleigh with Bella Morte and Ego Likeness. I’ve already waxed on about how great the sow was, so I won’t bore our readers further. Like most people I have met in the scene here, Carl is very friendly. The first thing that struck me about “Some Desperate Glory” is the name. Some Desperate Glory is the classic account of combat in World War I, written by Edwin Vaughn, a British officer. The CD cover features scenes from WWI. I had a great-uncle who fought with the Canadian Army in France during that war, and another great -uncle who fought with the American Expeditionary Corps. I have done quite a bit of research into that terrible conflict.

“Muse” is fast, and percussion driven. Eletro background loops give added depth. “Tonight, We Mainline” has a cool spacey sort of intro, then tribal drumming that merges into fast guitar and doleful vocals. “Addict” takes off with electro effects, and then strong and funky synth riffs emerge. I dig it, man! This is the backbone of the song, with smooth vocals that become layered as the song progresses. One of my favorite songs on this CD is “My Heart Bleeds”. Carl’s vocals remind me a bit of a cross between Gary Numan, and Trent Reznor. The song begins rather abstractly. There is sort of an interesting synth background behind the vocals, with fragmentary computer-esque interludes. “I expected nothing and I got it…..so my heart bleeds.” Guitar gives the song a bite behind the edgy vocals. “The Darkness” has ominous sounding synth that I like a lot. Scratchy vocals emerge over it, and about a minute or so the song is beefed up with percussion and harder synth. “Dead Weight” has a more rock and roll feel, with guitar bursts and a punkish percussion. “Your Words” continues this, with aggressive guitar and spoken lyrics. A rousing refrain gives the song further bite. Driving guitar is balanced by electronic loops in the background. “Love is not Control” was one I remembered from Carl’s performance. A sort of crunchy sounding electro intro surges into sharp synth. Slightly distorted vocals and catchy electronic effects give it a NIN kind of feel that grows on you. The song ends with the shrieking refrain “Love is not control…” Next is “Excessive Force” which has a whispered intro, then breaks into sort of ‘80s sounding vocals. Edgy guitar soon kicks in, and the refrain becomes more strident, nearly punkish. There is a spoken interlude, and the refrain continues. Altogether a fine song. “Constants That Aren’t Really Constant” is shorter and more dance driven. Vocals are stronger, and heavy guitar breaks in about halfway through the song, then fading back. “Send My Roots Rain” alternates the lead between hsynth and guitar, with a harder refrain that subsides and then rises with galloping percussion. “Manifesto” is even more Metal sounding. The vocals drop into a very ‘80’s style delivery before the song resumes with firm guitar licks. Fast, sliding synth speeds the song to an abrupt end.

“Survivialist”  is definitely worth checking out. I hope to hear more from Carl in the future!

http://www.myspace.com/somedesperateglory