Album Review: Material Control by Glassjaw

Please don't let me down. The words which spring to mind to describe Material Control circle around a common theme: lean, sinewy, jagged, brutal. My way of phrasing would be that it doesn't take its hand off the throttle for a second; the album gets your throat in a chokehold early on, then holds you out the car window at high speed. Only at two points do proceedings slow down, and that's to fully unearth the menace rather than give us a breather.

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After two years of rumours that a secret new Glassjaw album was in the works (and following the band's live performance of fragments of the record following the departure of longtime bassist Manuel Carrero and drummer Durijah Lang in 2015) the band have finally returned with Material Control, their first album in 15 years.   Daryl Palumbo demonstrates a wide vocal range throughout the new record, switching between an aggressive yet melodic delivery and a more sombre, heart-wrenching clean approach. The vocalist flexes his skills ….

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Material Control wouldn't exist if Daryl Palumbo didn't believe it was "the most Glassjaw-sounding music we could be making at this point." There is no doubting the purity of their vision, as lead single "New White Extremity" is Glassjaw as hell. Its aggression and abrasive, abstract skronk tie together New York hardcore and no wave, mixed with astringent third-wave emo melody and the CGI'd musculature of nu-metal production--all with Palumbo doing his ocean-sized roar over it all like Long Island's answer to Perry Farrell. In 2015, the band released "New White Extremity" as a one-off, assumed to lead up to this very moment, where it serves as the opener for the first Glassjaw album in 15 years.

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