Solitude - EP

Gunmetal Grey's Solitude mini-CD is what happens when hardcore scene veterans get together to kick out their heavy metal jams: a brazen assault to the senses that's as indebted to the frantic death metal of At the Gates as it is to the crossover spirit of the Cro-Mags. This combination doesn't always work quite as planned, what with the alternating of screeched and sung vocals in tracks like "Dreaming" and "A Step Away" sounding a little unhinged from the surrounding mayhem — almost as if the bandmembers are still just a little embarrassed to admit their metallic passions to their hardcore buddies. But, when they do manage to mine that vein unselfconsciously (cue the minor-key melodies of the CD intro, the absolutely brutal thrashings of "Keep Walking" and "The Crown of Deception," and the blistering guitar solos in "Life On My Own" and the title track), Gunmetal Grey generally achieve their goals.