The Royal Thousand

Glass Cloud’s debut album, The Royal Thousand, is a bracing assault that hits hard, burns deep, and leaves a searing finish. Singer Jerry Roush (ex–Sky Eats Airplane) and Joshua Travis (formerly with The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza) spearhead the Virginia quartet’s blend of guitar aggression, churning grooves, and sweeping dynamics. Roush’s penchant for contrasting harsh and clean vocals gives the band a compelling emotional range, while Travis’ eclectic fretwork melds technical complexity with raw firepower. Bassist Travis Sykes and drummer Chad Hasty round out the band’s low end with impact and finesse. Tracks like “White Flag” (a tour de force of low-tuned riffage, deep rhythmic chug, and soaring choruses), “If He Dies, He Dies” (rich with guitar pyrotechnics and violent vocals), and “She Is Well and Nothing Can Be Ill” (adding a hint of jazz to the aural ferocity) signal the band’s creative ambitions. All told, Glass Cloud combines brains with brutality, making its first effort a consistently bone-crunching success.