REVIEW: Gift Giver – Daddy Issues [2013]
Artist: Gift Giver
Album: Daddy Issues
Preview: Daddy Issues
So are you one of the people that doesn’t get presents during the holiday seasons? Feeling a little left out on valentines day? Need some love? If so the appropriately named band Gift Giver, is the salvation you have been waiting for.
With the release date in mind (February the 14th) that’s probably exactly what the band had in mind as well, and its a well planned move indeed, because listening to the freshly released EP called ”Daddy Issues”will make you forget about the fact that no one loves you, with a healthy dose of your daily recommended hatred for everything! It will become quite clear upon firing this debut release up for the first time, that Gift Giver is yet another one of those rare bands that succeeded in taking several older formulas of metal genres and fused them together and make them sound fresh again. Sadly this EP is no longer than a little less under 16 minutes in total play time, however this fact did not keep me from being more impressed by the sheer destructive force those few minutes contained. Much more so than some recent full lengths out there, the term short but sweet comes to mind here. One personal thing I like a lot about this release are the angry (yet simple) lyrics. They remind me a lot of the old school nu-metal formula and that element fits perfectly here, I will not spoil anything, but to me this is a much needed return to a simpler style, after all metal is a music genre that is supposed to be anger inducing, through the form of heavy instrumentals and relatable lyrics. The best examples of this can be heard on the song ”Chatterbox” and the title track ”Daddy Issues”, which both were my instant favorites from the first listen. From a technical point of view Gift Giver is a well mixed beast of destruction, as I said earlier. Combining elements from hardcore and deathcore with some metalcore sprinkled on top here and there. You can be assured ”Daddy Issues” is as heavy as eating a bulldozer. Valentines day this year will surely turn into a massacre when you give this shit a spin, and will be something that’s probably going to be remembered longer than some stupid love letter or a card. I sincerely hope that ”Daddy Issues” is just the beginning of more things to come in the near future and that Gift Giver is the kind of band that just keeps on bringing the hate.
Rating: 9/10
For fans of: Emmure, Barrier, Doomsday Mourning, Beyond All Recognition
