Glassjaw, Worship and Tribute

By Ben Ralston

This second release by the so-called-emo band Glassjaw is not so much a step forward, but it solidifies their established sound, a sound that could only be described as a grim connection between Incubus and At the Drive-In.

Worship and Tribute seems loaded with introspective lyrics, touching on such contemporary issues as war, fashion and teen angst, and more often than not, all within the same song.

The lead singer throws in so many vocal shifts that it gives the listener the impression that he’s just gotten bored–perhaps it was the fact that he was strumming the same half dozen power chords for the last 11 songs.

Tracks like “Stuck Pig” and “Two Tabs of Mescaline” are dripping wet with posed masculinity, throwing out occasional screams and growls that seemed comparable to something from the girl rock band, Kittie. And in the end, I was left to wonder if emo had become nothing more than a euphemism for nu-metal.

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