When you name your band Gods Of Mount Olympus then you need two things. One: a band containing some established players in the game of punk rock. Two: a record of epic proportions that is going to absolutely knock the listener's socks off. Well, the Gods Of Mount Olympus certainly have some of the most established players in the world of punk amongst their ranks. Formed by Scorpios pianist Brian Wahlstrom and featuring Steve Morris of Unwritten Law on guitar and Matt Riddle of No Use For A Name of bass. Gods Of Mount Olympus are completed by drummer Paul Rucker who is a mutual friend of Lagwagon's Joey Cape. So yeah, plenty of punk rock chops to go along with such a bold name. But does their self titled EP pack the punch its title warrants?
The EP begins with the song Blue Screen Light. From the outset you can get the feel of the EP with some classic 90s melodic skate punk being lead by some fantastic piano playing from Wahlstrom. This different approach to that sound, that I've enjoyed for so long, immediately has me listening to the track intently. The piano adds a more theatrical sound to the song and it really feels as if you're being taken on a journey. It's not all about the piano though, there are some superb guitar solos in the song at times that adds some metal to the track. There's also an appearance from Joey Cape in the song which was an added bonus. There's so much going on in this opening track! This is followed up by Cops On Saint Andrews. The song starts out with a bouncy piano part being accompanied by some crunching guitars. This start is quite contrasting but soon enough everything falls into line and the two sounds complement each other wonderfully. At over five minutes long, the song has got that lovely epic feel. You don't really notice the length though as you're just swept away with everything that's going on in the song.
The third song on the EP is titled Curtains. Curtains starts out in a reasonably subdued manner with Wahlstrom's exquisite vocals taking centre stage. They do such a magnificent job of carrying the melody of the song before the eventual piano comes in. The layering of the vocals is also so good, adding some extra emotion to the song. When the piano does come in so does a dramatic flavour, it almost feels like a film score or narrative. The penultimate track, Admission, begins with more piano and the addition of some strings, adding even more of a theatrical style. I love the way that the song builds as it goes on - first with the addition of the rest of the band, then by upping the tempo and finally by Wahlstrom adding some urgency into his vocals. This is one of those songs that transcends genres and is just a fantastic piece of music. Neverminder completes the EP. Neverminder is a mid-tempo track that plods along nicely. There is a more serious tone to the song but it also feels as if this one was written to be the big sing-a-long at a Gods Of Mount Olympus live show. The tempo is upped at the halfway stage with the piano becoming prominent again with the additional strings section. Again, this sounds so dramatic that you can't help but be swept away by the music.
Gods Of Mount Olympus pulled it off. This EP is certainly big enough to deserve such a bold name. I love this fresh and unique take on punk rock. It's something that punk rockers will really enjoy and should get some attention from fans of other genres and styles of music.
Stream and download Gods Of Mount Olympus here: https://birdattackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gods-of-mount-olympus
Like Gods Of Mount Olympus here: https://www.facebook.com/gomoband/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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