When a band is able to reach into the past and draw from well worn influences and make it their own, you know you’ve got something special on your hands. When I first put GYLT’s new EP I Will Commit A Holy Crime in my cassette deck I was immediately taken with how well they’ve taken the evil, moody, and over the top sounds of crusty thrash by bands like SACRILEGE, DEVIATED INSTINCT, and ANTISECT and made it sound so fresh and relevant.
GYLT’s vicious brand of hardcore punk is dialed in on every level sonically, carried over the top by vocalist Iphigenia’s snarling howls. At times the howls become desperate, like the end of “Feral” where cries of help from a possessed child a la The Exorcist create an urgent sense of despair, or on opening track “Desk Jockey”; two minutes of gloomy goth-tinged perfection featuring spindly guitar leads intermingling with Iphigenia’s shredded yells of “Don’t admit the pain!”
On “Dirt Nap”, dizzying guitars create an unsettlingly psychedelic affect that perfectly accompanies lyrics like “Deep in the dirt and starting to swell/I dream of blood/but it feels so real/Secret Intentions/Divine Intervention.” GYLT are so good at moments like these, leaning hard into their theatrical side and creating an atmosphere that will make your skin crawl as much as it will make your head bang.
With upcoming live dates including a spot at C.Y. Fest alongside legends like DEATH SIDE, M.D.C., and SKITSYSTEM in addition to a supporting spot for BLOOD BROTHERS at L.A.’s Belasco Theater, GYLT are quickly making a name for themselves and rightfully so; music this intense demands to be heard!
