Fathom XIX

Palace Law

2017-11-26

rock clichés. There’s maybe an overabundance of guitar solos and silly machismo, the mixes can leave the album feeling a little sludgy and indistinct, and there’s even a backwards song designed to provoke 1980s mothers to interpretations of Satanist messages. But I for one will always give the benefit of the doubt to bands that sound like they sincerely love rock ‘n roll. Fathom XIX hits these songs properly hard, resembling early Mudhoney more than anyone else. And for an album as focused on symmetry as “Palace Law,” the second half is a substantially more interesting listen than the first. The band mixes up their pacing and becomes less concerned with domineering riffs. I would, however, like for someone to explain to singer Darin Wiltse that when talking about gold, karats are units of purity rather than weight, making the chorus “feel like 24 karats of solid gold” redundant.

Pros: Riffs, velocity.

Cons: Sounds like GRD will be putting them on heavy rotation very soon.

Primest Cuts: “Solid Gold” “Bring Me The World”

review by Kollen

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Rock

  • reviewed 03/2009

    WAR CHILD-16 Of Todays Biggest Artists
    HEROS

  • reviewed 01/2007

    THE POSTMARKS
    The Postmarks

  • reviewed 06/2016

    Karma Darwin
    Karma Darwin

  • reviewed 06/2016

    The Young Presidents
    Firehorse

  • reviewed 03/2006

    THE ESSEX GREEN
    Cannibal Sea

  • reviewed 01/2006

    ROBERT POLLARD
    From a Compound Eye

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.