Unjust - Glow

Unjust Glow cover
Unjust
Glow
Copro Records
2004
9
This is not the surprise of the month, rather possibly the surprise of the year! The CD has stuck in my CD-player for more than a week now and I still cannot get over the hurricane of emotions that stroke me. I still cannot believe that there are (unknown) bands, which can deliver something, innovative and novel in the “tired” rock scene of the year 2004. Thank God Unjust is here to defy my pessimism for good. This is the third album of the quintet coming from San Francisco. Unfortunately it seems that the first two releases have been too underground and we never got the chance to listen to them. So the surprise here is much bigger!
 
The webmaster gave me the promo and told me that this can be the surprise of March. I hesitantly put the CD on (I thought it was one more melodic rock album) and then I freaked out! Goodness, how on earth can I describe the sound of this band? The pure melancholy (not misery), the enchanting atmosphere, this storm of emotions flooding through the speakers, the sense of deliverance that reigns at the end. Trust me, if you have feeling this CD will haunt you. It brings me back to rainy, yet warm and sweet November afternoons in my room in the UK with the best of company, staring at the gray sky out of my window.
 
It’s hard even to describe the music that the band offers us here. In general we are talking about dark rock with many heavy guitars, that flirts with atmospheric metal at times. The band has created such an original sound, that I can only describe it by naming some influences that came to my mind when listening to the album. So imagine a mixture of Sentenced, Radiohead (of the “OK Computer” days), Gathering, Dream Theater, Faith No More, Anathema to name some, but again the whole result sounds so original that you have to listen to it. 14 rather short songs – 14 monuments/anthems to freedom... and don’t even dare to think of “weak” moments here – there aren’t any!
 
The songs are so unpredictable, evolving from nostalgic tempos and riffs to heavy as trucks riffs devastating everything. The rhythm section is a solid backbone, a canvas for the rest to draw upon. Thom Tucker on the keyboards paints with the brightest or gloomiest colors depending on the mood and Paul Mendoza’s vocals lead the dance to a desperate waltz. It’s amazing how this album travels you from desperation to joy and bliss in no time! I haven’t much more to write about this masterpiece. It’s not accidental that Faith No More’s Billy Gould believed in the album and will release it via his label “Koolarrow” in the States. Trust me and buy this without any hesitation. Surprise of the month... album of a lifetime.