Grey Britain

A second album by Gallows was first hinted by vocalist Frank Carter during an interview with NME in 2007, where he stated that because Gallows was "a hobby I get paid for," the band would likely be defunct by 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/gallows-85-1346010|title=Gallows' Frank Carter: 'I'm quitting music' - NME|date=11 September 2007}} However, he confirmed that during this period, the band would record up to two additional albums.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} He later told Kerrang! that the claims regarding the band's imminent break-up were untrue.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

In an interview with Kerrang!, it was revealed that Gallows' sophomore effort would feature guest appearances by Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil, and various members of Rolo Tomassi and Cancer Bats. In an interview at Sonisphere 2009, the brother of Frank Carter and vocalist of British hardcore band Blackhole, Richard Carter confirmed that he appeared on the track 'Black Eyes'.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

In the March edition of Total Guitar, guitarists Steph Carter and Laurent Barnard noted that most of the keyboards had been stripped back and that the guitars were reminiscent of Black Sabbath's 1970s efforts.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

In a January 2009 interview with Rock Sound, Carter announced that Grey Britain would be "49 minutes of aggressive music" and that signing a contract with a major label had not influenced the band to record a "poppy" or more "commercial" album."Gallows: Classic Concepts". (January 2009). Rock Sound, p.65

On 13 January 2009 Carter revealed on BBC Radio 1 that the album would be released in early May 2009, after which the band will resume touring. On the following day, the band announced their second studio album would be titled Grey Britain, and that it has been produced by Garth Richardson.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/gallows-47-1320471|title=Gallows reveal May 2009 tour dates and new album title - NME|date=14 January 2009}} Carter explained the premise of the album to Kerrang!, saying, "Britain is fucked. Grey Britain is all about what's going on socially, politically and economically in the UK and how it affects us."{{cite web |url=http://www2.kerrang.com/2009/02/exclusive_gallows_new_album_tr.html |title=Kerrang! Exclusive! Gallows new album tracklisting |publisher=.kerrang.com |date=2009-02-10 |accessdate=2011-11-14 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127035402/http://www2.kerrang.com/2009/02/exclusive_gallows_new_album_tr.html |archive-date=2013-01-27 |url-status=dead }} The tracklisting was revealed on 16 February 2009.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/gallows-49-1308657|title=Gallows reveal new album 'Grey Britain' tracklisting - NME|date=16 February 2009}}

Describing the methods of getting samples for the album, bassist Stu Gili-Ross stated "The samples on the album are real. There’s the sound of the River Thames when we went down to the riverbank and recorded the sound of the water. There’s a lot of stuff on there. We went into a Halal slaughterhouse where a pig was getting slaughtered for food. I wouldn’t say it was a pig getting murdered, that’s a bit strong. It was going to die anyway so we just turned up with a microphone and captured the sounds.”{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/gallows-53-1309885|title=Gallows: 'We recorded a pig dying on new album' - NME|date=23 April 2009}} However, after PETA criticized the use of a real pig dying for the album, the band revealed they lied and found the sample online.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/gallows-50-1308863|title=Gallows admit lying about pig slaughter boast - NME|date=28 April 2009}}

On 1 March 2009 it was announced that the first single from the album would be "The Vulture (Acts I & II)," to be released on 27 April.{{cite web|url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/67734/gallows|title=News: Gallows Announce First Single|accessdate=2009-03-04|date=2009-03-02|publisher=idiomag}} The music video for "The Vulture (Act II)" had its world premiere on 23 March 2009.[http://www.noisepress.com/2009/03/gallows-releases-new-video.html "Gallows Releases New Video"]. Noise Press. Retrieved 2009-03-23

On 17 March 2009, it was revealed that the album's original cover art had to be censored under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and that album's tie-in DVD had been given an 18 certificate.{{cite web |title=GALLOWS ALBUM COVER CENSORED |url=https://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/gallows-album-cover-censored |website=Rock Sound |accessdate=30 December 2019}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = 74/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/grey-britain/gallows|title=Grey Britain by Gallows}}

| rev10 = The Telegraph

| rev10Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/andrew-perry/5251166/Gallows-Grey-Britain-CD-review.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001182719/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/andrew-perry/5251166/Gallows-Grey-Britain-CD-review.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 October 2018|title=Gallows: Grey Britain, CD review|first=Andrew|last=Perry|date=1 May 2009|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}

| rev2 = Clash

| rev2Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/gallows-grey-britain|title=Gallows - Grey Britain}}

| rev4 = Drowned in Sound

| rev4Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14203/reviews/4136405|title=Album Review: Gallows - Grey Britain|access-date=2009-03-29|archive-date=2019-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911115937/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14203/reviews/4136405|url-status=dead}}

| rev5 = The Guardian

| rev5Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/19/gallows-enemy-review-grey-britain|title=Rock review: Gallows, Grey Britain: The Enemy, Music for the people|first=Jon|last=Savage|date=18 April 2009|journal=The Guardian}}

| rev9 = Pop Matters

| rev9Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/108045-gallows-grey-britain-2496053970.html|title=Gallows: Grey Britain|date=21 July 2009}}

| rev3 = Decibel

| rev3Score = {{rating|4|5}} {{cite magazine|url=http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=320442|journal=Decibel Magazine|issue=59|page=91|title=Anarchy in the UK: Grey Britain review|last=Yates|first=Catherine}}

| rev7 = Mojo

| rev7Score = {{rating|4|5}} {{cite magazine|url=http://cover.mojo4music.com/Item.aspx?pageNo=1800&year=2009|date=June 2009|issue=187|page=98|journal=Mojo Magazine|title=Grey Britain review|last=Meyers|first=Ben Meyers}}

| rev6 = Metal Hammer

| rev6Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Grey Britain review |magazine=Metal Hammer |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Future Publishing |issue=191}}

| rev8 = NME

| rev8Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/reviews-gallows-10398|title=Album review: Gallows - NME|website=NME}}

}}

Grey Britain received a 74 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Drowned in Sound commented: "the music rockets from intentionally rudimentary knuckle-whiteners to ambitious-of-design affairs that reconfigure one’s opinions on a band previously seen as a straight-up hardcore act".{{cite web |last=Savage |first=Milton |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14203/reviews/4136405 |title=Gallows - Grey Britain / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound |publisher=Drownedinsound.com |date=2009-05-05 |accessdate=2011-11-14 |archive-date=2019-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911115937/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14203/reviews/4136405 |url-status=dead }} Ben Myers of Mojo commented "Not since the Pistols and The Specials has a pissed off provincial band so clearly meant it" and ClashMusic called the record "as daunting as blow-drying your face in the evil ghost-gas that Indiana Jones unleashes from The Lost Ark".{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/gallows-grey-britain |title=Gallows - Grey Britain | Clash Music Latest Album Review |publisher=Clashmusic.com |date=2009-04-29 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}

The Telegraph praised the group for its lack of compromise, calling Grey Britain "a masterpiece of rock brutalism". It also noted the progression of Gallows' sound, combining traditional hardcore sound with newer styles, comparing the "grotesquely churning riffage" with that used by nu metal bands such as Slipknot. It summed up the album as "the most exciting album in many moons."

Kerrang! listed Grey Britain as the best album of 2009.{{cite web|url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=26040|title=2009 Kerrang! Magazine Albums Of The Year 2009}} NME listed the album among the 15 greatest hardcore punk albums of all time.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/best-hardcore-albums-ever-2287103|title=Get in the pit: the best hardcore albums of all time - NME|date=12 April 2018}}

The album debuted at number 20 in the UK album chart on 10 May 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums.shtml |title=Radio 1 - Chart - The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart |publisher=BBC |date=2007-02-24 |accessdate=2011-11-14}} By January 2010, it had sold 20,000 copies in the United Kingdom and 50,000 copies worldwide, leading Warner Bros. Records to drop Gallows from its roster.{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Ben |last2= |first2= |date=2010-01-06 |title=Gallows' great rock'n'roll swindle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/jan/06/gallows-great-rock-n-roll-swindle |access-date=2024-03-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In 2014, it was listed as one of Metal Hammer's "Modern Classics".{{cite web |last1=Bezer |first1=Terry |title=Modern Classics: Gallows - Grey Britain |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/modern-classics-gallows-grey-britain |website=Metal Hammer |accessdate=30 December 2019}}

The album has been categorised as hardcore punk{{cite web |last1=Begrand |first1=Adrien |title=Gallows: Grey Britain |url=https://www.popmatters.com/108045-gallows-grey-britain-2496053970.html |website=Pop Matters |accessdate=30 December 2019}} and metalcore,{{cite web|title=Gallows – Great Britain|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/grey-britain-mw0000816240|last=Lymangrover|first=Jason|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=22 May 2015|quote=...[Gallows] rethought their plans ... [for] Grey Britain, and ultimately came to a decision to revamp their sound with a metal edge. There's the same screaming angst and relentless speed that was celebrated in their first outing, but now Carter's shrieks are backed by double kick drums and explosive speed metal guitar riffs that have more in common with Slayer and early Metallica than Black Flag or the Exploited. Shifting into metalcore territory is a tricky decision, since a lot of their initial appeal was due to the fact that they were making their own personal stamp on revitalizing punk — a genre that's becoming increasingly saturated with commercialism.}} showing significantly more metal influence than the band's prior material. Many tracks make heavy use of samples of the River Thames, orchestras and church bells. Songs often makes use fast tempos, gang vocals, heavy guitar riffs and hooks.{{cite web |title=Gallows Grey Britain (2009) |url=https://www.punknews.org/review/8288/gallows-grey-britain |accessdate=30 December 2019}}

Grey Britain is a concept album based around post–credit crunch Britain, predicting an increase in "racism, xenophobia, knife crime and inescapable mental illness". In an article for Vice, writer Tom Connick described it as "post-apocalyptic" and as "a record so nihilistic, unpalatable and inescapably bleak it made Orchestra Of Wolves look like nothing more than a temper tantrum".{{cite web |last1=Connick |first1=Tom |title=Gallows Predicted Fractured Brexit Britain, Ten Years Early |url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/pajpxk/gallows-grey-britain-ten-years-recession-brexit-britain |website=Vice Media |accessdate=29 December 2019}} The album's final track makes direct attacks against the Metropolitan Police Service, Catholicism, the National Front, rapists, child abusers and racists.{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Paddie |title=Album Retrospective, Gallows – Grey Britain 10 Years On |url=https://www.headstuff.org/entertainment/music/gallows-grey-britain-10-years/ |accessdate=30 December 2019}}

In 2019, Vice praised it for its accurate prediction of "fractured Brexit Britain" and lead vocalist Frank Carter stated "We were writing about a post-apocalyptic future in London. And, unfortunately, now… I’m living in it".

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Gallows

| headline =

| total_length =

| title1 = The Riverbank

| length1 = 2:30

| title2 = London Is the Reason

| length2 = 3:11

| title3 = Leeches

| length3 = 3:46

| title4 = Black Eyes (featuring Richard Carter)

| length4 = 2:51

| title5 = I Dread the Night

| length5 = 3:39

| title6 = Death Voices

| length6 = 3:55

| title7 = The Vulture (Acts I & II)

| length7 = 6:02

| title8 = The Riverbed

| length8 = 3:57

| title9 = The Great Forgiver

| length9 = 2:14

| title10 = Graves (featuring Simon Neil)

| length10 = 2:42

| title11 = Queensberry Rules

| length11 = 4:16

| title12 = Misery

| length12 = 5:09

| title13 = Crucifucks

| length13 = 7:59

}}

Adapted from Allmusic.

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Gallows

• Frank Carter – vocals, production
• Laurent Barnard – guitar, keyboards, production
• Steph Carter – guitar, backing vocals, production
• Stuart Gili-Ross – bass, production
• Lee Barratt – drums, production

Additional musicians

• David Daniels – cello
• Marren Fielinski – violin
• Perry Mason – violin
• Bruce Ruhite – violin

{{col-2-of-2}}

Production

• Garth Richardson – production
• Jonathan Carter – remote recording
• John O'Mahony – mixing
• Ben Kaplan – engineering
• Richard Lancaster – engineering
• Thomas Mitchener – remote recording
• Jan Petrov – mixing assistant
• Robbie Nelson – engineering
• Howie Weinberg – mastering

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{{reflist}}

{{Gallows}}

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Category:2009 albums

Category:Albums produced by Garth Richardson

Category:2000s concept albums

Category:Warner Records albums

Category:Gallows (band) albums