Review Summary: An underrated alternative metal masterpiece.
From the moment the discordant noise that kicks off “Uncle Winky’s Hump Palace” enters your ears, you can’t help but wonder what exactly you’re getting into. The song evolves into a southern metal showcase, alternating between Jimmy Grant’s frantic screeches and guitarist Buddy Fischel’s redneck ramblings towards the end. It’s one of the many instances of humor that Indorphine displays on
Glowsticks for Clubbing Baby Seals, and it shows that the band isn’t afraid to show their personality. In addition, each member has a song that showcases their own individual talents; guitarist Adam Phillips brings the shred on “I Wanna Be in the Tabloids”, drummer Everett Sailor kicks off “Kingdoms Fall” with a unique drum intro, Buddy takes a break from guitar to sing incoherent lyrics on “Port-O-Culture” (the only audible lyrics seem to be in the chorus:
“I think I pooped my pants”), and Jimmy and bassist Tanner Owings switch places for “Kingdoms Fall”.
Jimmy’s vocal work is reminiscent of Mike Patton on the album. Song after song, he switches from manic screams, guttural growls, nasal singing, deep crooning, and even scatting. The highlight of his performance is the doom metal-esque “Face”, where Jimmy holds a scream for twenty seconds before going into some demonic death growls. Tanner also proves to be one hell of a singer, soulfully crooning on “Radio Whore” and the aforementioned “Kingdoms Fall”. Lyrically, the album covers the typical ideas found in alternative metal: isolation, love, faults in humanity, and introspection. Rather than examine each song, I’ll pick out the ones that I found to be highlights:
“And if I told you that you're empty and one day
The thought of me would make you cry, you'll try
To keep me close while you control me, your own way
And if you said you have to go, goodbye”
- “Inside”
“You want some message from God wrote on a sign
And the sign would say,
"This was your life and you threw it all away"”
- “Krucifried Chicken”
“All this time you felt like something was just not right
But you could never put a finger on it
While it was hiding right there tearing at your mind
Repeating over and over again
You could be so much more if you'd just let me help you help me
They need you to do this to them so the others will learn
When the world becomes your home again”
- “Face”
Along with an instrumental (“Blue Eskimo”), a cover of
Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”, and a vocal outtake at the end of the album,
Glowsticks for Clubbing Baby Seals is an underrated alternative metal masterpiece. The band blends their style with other genres seamlessly, and manages to stay unique all at once without overstaying their welcome. Some elements may take a while to get used to (such as Jimmy’s nasal cleans), but it’s a testament to their identity in the now overcrowded avant-garde scene. Indorphine broke up a couple years after the album was released, but have since gotten back together to work on the follow-up to
Glowsticks.
