So what do these guys have going for them besides a cool name? Well, for one, they've already been pigeonholed into the rapidly expanding xian music genre deemed "rap-core." That's a shame, because Gryp really has something unique with their debut full length Indecision. Musically, Gryp could be described as having the hip-hop/rap touches of Korn combined with the hardcore chaos of a Training for Utopia. Don't expect any radio friendly songs or any kind of standard song structure either. Musically, Gryp ranges from short, spastic grooves to nearly spoken word pieces, to off-kilter guitar noises and eerie electronic samples and intros. The fight song "Against the Crowd" utilizes a funky guitar intro before moving off into the immense groove and screamed chorus, while the track "Real" starts with a Fifties movie soundtrack sample before screeching into the tense guitar crunch.
Lead singer Curtis Shamlin's voice is the real treasure of this CD. Shamlin can start a song off with a haunting, melodic whisper, switch to lightning fast rapping, then finish in a normal singing voice. With self explanatory lyrics filled with lines like:
Why do I have to believe
In some man who died for me?
Why do I have to go to church?
I'm good enough, I'm good enough.
Am I not good enough for you?
I've never hurt anyone...
Never! Good enough for you, never!
(No one comes to the Father but by me.
Anyone who thinks he can lost his chance at salvation.)
it's obvious that Gryp is a band who thinks of themselves as a ministry.
Production values are fine, though it would have been interesting to see how Gryp would have pulled off all these samples and guitar tones on an indie budget. With an honest, original style, Gryp is definitely a welcome addition to the genre. Expect 80% of the music buying public to hate this release, and the other 20% who understand it to form a rabid fan club.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #79Reviewed by David BixlerSometimes people are at the right place at the right time. After introducing their harsh brand of rap-core with their independently released 5-song EP, Gryp was prepared to release this CD independently as well. That is, until some reps from Metro One heard them play and wanted to make it a label release instead. And what a good choice those reps made. What ensues on this 11-song CD is much more…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Chris KingHere we have the second release from Gryp, a psychedelic hardcore band from Fresno, California. The first offering was a self released 5 song EP entitled Real. A review of this EP can be found here. The band's latest effort, Indecision, contains 11 tracks, four of which are newly recorded versions of songs from Real (all but "Hypocrite" are here). Of the seven new tracks included, three of them,…Similar sounding releases
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