WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF GLASS CLOUD?
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza have announced that their forthcoming release, Danza IIII: The Alpha – The Omega, will be their last. This means that from now on, we’ll have to get our fix of guitarist Josh Travis via Glass Cloud, a band which also features ex-Of Mice & Men vocalist Jerry Roush. So it is with a heavy heart that I came to the realization that I don’t think Glass Cloud are very good.
Heavy Blog is Heavy categorizes Glass Cloud as being “much more commercially friendly” than TTDTE, which is putting it mildly. What makes Danza great is the way they push the boundaries of so-called “core” metal, refusing to conform to the norms of that subgenre. Glass Cloud, in contrast, seem to embrace those norms. They’re not bad, exactly — they’re just not particularly interesting. I can count on one hand the number of bands that can still get away with good cop/bad cop vocals in 2012, and Glass Cloud ain’t one of ’em. But I might even be willing to forgive the tiredness of that particular trope if Travis maintained more of his signature guitar sound with Glass Cloud. Alas, no such luck.
The problem with Glass Cloud is perfectly exemplified by their new video, for the (presumably Rocky IV-inspired) track “If He Dies, He Dies”: competently made and completely unoriginal. Only out of respect to Travis’ previous work did I even make it through the entire thing.
What do you guys think? Am I being too hard on Glass Cloud, or should Josh Travis be striving for something more ambitious given his immense talents? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
“If He Dies, He Dies” appears on The Royal Thousand, which is out now on Equal Vision and Basick Records.
-AR
