Review: Night Child ‘Darkened Grid’ EP
Growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I would find myself frustrated whenever I traveled. I’d continuously have to explain to people that yes, we are a state, and no, I am not from Mexico. Most people had heard of Albuquerque through Bugs Bunny if nothing else – “I should’ve taken that left turn at Albuquerque” – or these days through Breaking Bad and its universe. However, they knew absolutely nothing of the kaleidoscopic, diverse culture here and all this city offered, including a thriving, robust local music scene.
Over the years, a variety of killer bands of various genres have come out of here. In the desert, with not a ton to do, a lot of people understandably turn to playing music. A few of these bands and musicians made an impact outside of the Southwest. ‘90s garage punk bands like Scared of Chaka and The Drags both had a strong national buzz in the underground, as did crust punk luminaries Word Salad. The wimp-pop of The Shins infiltrated the national consciousness in the early ’00s, while the skate punk of Left Unsaid was heard as far west as Southern California. On the heavier side, iconic stoner rock label Meteor City was based here, just as Desert Records is now. Blue Heron has garnered praise on both sides of the Atlantic, as has Red Mesa. And now, here we have the feral, garage thrash and roll of Night Child.
Comprised of longtime local scene veterans, including members of both Russian Girlfriends and Koffin Kats, Night Child leaned into their metal obsessions and instantly had eyebrows raised on their self-titled debut EP. Here, the band returns with their second EP, Darkened Grid, and everything that ripped about their initial offering is kicked up a notch. The opener, Night Child, wastes zero time grabbing the listener by the throat with some ominous volume swells and countdown beeps that set up vicious, chugging thrash riffage that had me recalling both Power Trip and High Command. There’s also plenty of gnarly dive-bomb shred, d-beat rhythmic pummel, and angry rock and roll vocals that would have even the most jaded of metal fans nodding their heads in approval.
Gone Simpin’ gets us rolling with a low-slung bass line, giving way to a riff that’s best described as Queens Of The Stone Age but played by Zig Zags. It’s got plenty of rock swagger, but with a crunchy thrash bite. Additionally, the band displays their twin-lead Thin Lizzy influences with some insane shred interplay from guitarists Colin Dowell and Tony Camarena. Night Child stuffs a lot into this rager of a track, including some single-note, The Stooges-style keyboard bangs for good measure. An ‘80s, sci-fi-ish synth introduces the dizzying insanity that is True Heathen. Following a rock and roll build, we spin off into a dizzying assault that includes death metal, d-beat, Turbonegro-style rock, and everything in between.
Next up, Buried Alive is what happens when pummeling d-beat hardcore and death metal meet melodic, Thin Lizzy dual-lead rock and roll. If that’s not enough for you, Night Child throws in more Exodus-style dive-bomb shred just because they can. The penultimate track, Whispers Of The Mask, is a killer, old-school acoustic/Spanish guitar interlude that recalls veteran thrashers like Testament, who would set up their most vicious tracks this way.
And that is exactly what happens as we hit the closer, Electric Terrorist, which finds them deftly wielding all the rock and metal influences they’ve displayed over the course of the EP to devastating effect. With riffs for days, thrash, death, and garage punk blend together seamlessly. All of this is anchored by the rhythm section of drummer JR Willoughby, who puts on a clinic of rock and metal drumming, and bassist Nick Tackett, whose rumbling punk rock attack serves as the perfect foil.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention vocalist Ian Jarrell, who completely owns his performance throughout. His cadence and rock & roll bark remind me of both Negative Blast’s Rain Pesebre and Negative Approach/Easy Action’s John Brannon
Night Child scratches a particular itch, as this band is really capable of blending a myriad of influences across the punk rock and heavy metal spectrum while bringing them together for a cohesive, dizzying, and frankly lethal effect. Sure, I’m a bit biased as they are a hometown band, but the accolades I’ve heaped upon them are well deserved, as one spin of this beast of an EP will attest.
Label: What’s Left Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
