GUS SEVENTY SEVEN’s NINE PATHS IN ONE DIRECTION is a grunge rock album you didn’t know you needed

Grunge has always been thriving with its presence and energy — less about approval and pleasing, it demands to be felt and lived through. A Greek band GUS SEVENTY SEVEN unearths this depth with their newest self-release album NINE PATHS IN ONE DIRECTION. This project is the manifestation of the band’s passion for music and impulse to express and create. Here’s a review of the album’s excellent tracks for you to tune in!

Their lead single Torn and Broken carries emotion in every note, brimming with vulnerability and ache. The guitars are thick and fuzzy followed by punchy and pounding rhythms from the drums. The lyrics emphasize its title with themes from inner conflict and vulnerability. It echoes exhaustion from wounds that never heal, soaked and bleeding in pain, desperate to heal and find courage. The arrangement drags and tears like a heart full of grief. It scrapes and pulls you under.

Future Of The Mankind, on the other hand, is a power song that is a personal favorite. Artists who use their platform to protest and speak truth will always have a special place in the scene. Demonstrating art lifted from the realities of the poor and the marginalized is respectable — and even more so, necessary. It tackles social and political aspects, the disillusionment that comes with corruption and apathy, losing morals for greed and status. This track will not only invite your ears but will stare at you in the eyes unapologetically. It is an outcry, honest and unfiltered.

No One Can Save Me is on the same font with the lead single with sludgy tones and vocals filled with angst. The band perfectly expressed emotional turmoil with interesting hooks and dynamic shifts. This track embraces tension and chaos, feelings that fall apart, a vivid portrait of someone resigned to their own ruin.

The fifth track, Old Days, kicked off with laid back vibes from the soft nudge on the drums accompanied by the simple yet driving bass lines. The track is filled with nostalgia and melancholy from reminiscing the innocence of youth. The vocals are perfectly raw and raspy, charged with emotions, an implication how memories onced loved and cherished became a fuel to trigger an emotional suffering.

Youth Never Lies sounds like a validation, a reminder full of grit and affirmation, like maybe the person we once were is much more truthful than the person we became. The song is proud with dynamic shifts that move between laid back verses to loud and explosive choruses. The repetitive lines amplify the message and theme of the track.

Soulful Cries sounds like a plea, a desperation from a fractured relationship, caught between pain and healing. The arrangement builds up slowly with melodies and distortions that highlight its theme more. It’s punchy and sharp, steady yet complex. The lyrics are full of metaphor and contrasts, it evokes grief and deep sorrow while hinting the desire to move forward together.

Judas is aggressive and loud, a total grunge-rock experience that intensifies and expresses authenticity. The track thrives with contrasts, with vocal dancing behind the beats, it’s cathartic, chaotic, and addictive. The theme is well conveyed as the lyrics come with grit and rush.

The album also features wonderful and excellent covers of Again by Alice in Chains and Ty Cobb by Soundgarden. The band demonstrated their mastery in grunge-rock as the covers sound familiar, echoing the original sound all while breathing a new life to these tracks. The covers are dripped with nostalgia and angst, a tribute while marking their place in the scene.

For those who are finding tracks that ooze with honesty and authenticity, or loud enough to drown one’s thoughts, GUS SEVENTY SEVEN’s NINE PATHS IN ONE DIRECTION is a great discovery. Play it loud and let the distortions speak!