Glow is the 3rd record from New Jersey hardcore band Old Wounds, and the band’s first since 2015’s The Suffering Spirit. We won’t bother with some lengthy intro about how the band has matured or evolved – one listen to Glow reflects their songwriting skills in spades. Channeling some of the most iconic post-hardcore bands in the scene, Old Wounds have a real winner here, easily their best work overall.
“You want a war, you want a fucking war?”
Glow isn’t short on genuine musical moments. Single “Give A Name To Your Pain” contains vicious palm-muted guitar sections that are ready-made for live shows, and it’s one of many songs that vocalist Kevin Iavaroni sounds absolutely in command of. So too does 2nd track “Stripes”, where a disarmingly melodic chorus adds a newfound accessibility to the band that wasn’t quite present in previous work. Tracks like this manage to channel mid-period Glassjaw without coming close to sounding like a ripoff, which is a huge plus. Album highlight “Failed Design”, which features an impressive feature from Chris Motionless, isn’t necessarily the album’s heaviest track – more of a mid-tempo one by comparison – but it does feature an impressive buildup and ends in one of the gratifying moments of Glow.
It would be too easy to compare Old Wounds to scene luminaries like Glassjaw, Deftones, and maybe even some older metalcore bands, because that wouldn’t do them justice one bit. Simply put, Glow is an experience – and it’s one of the best heavy records of 2018. Rarely has such an incendiary record also been this much fun, but then again, Old Wounds aren’t your ordinary hardcore band.
