When former Gallows frontman
Frank Carter left the band in the summer of 2011, it was a huge shock for both
fans of the band and heavy music in general. While Gallows had cemented
themselves as one of the best punk bands to emerge from the UK in a couple of
decades, their hype was growing and they were nearing a point where whatever
they were to release next was sure to be career defining. Then, the whole
‘musical differences’ story came out, Frank was wearing a t-shirt with the
slogan ‘Pure Love’ on it for his final Gallows shows and
it was clear that the charismatic singer was moving onto pastures new, probably
for the good of himself rather than the good of his band-mates.
Gallows got to work recruiting a
new frontman in the shape of former Alexisonfire guitarist Wade MacNeil,
recording and putting out a short and snappy EP of new material, and all the
while Frank fell off the face of the planet, busy recording with his brand new
project, Pure Love, alongside former The Hope Conspiracy guitarist Jim Carroll.
There were promises that the new project would be going in a completely
different musical direction, but perhaps fans of Carter still assumed that this
would be hardcore, because that’s what the man seems to do best. Rumours
circulated and the world finally got a look at what Pure Love would be when
some videos of their debut sold-out show at Bush Hall in London emerged on
YouTube in January of this year.
Now, it had mainstream rock ‘n
roll written all over it, but it seemed to retain the heart and soul that Frank
clearly pours into his work. A few months later, the debut single from Pure
Love hit (a free download from their website) and the intentions of the duo are
all but confirmed. The song, ‘Bury My Bones’, is a structured modern rock tune
with Frank flexing his singing muscles and Carroll bashes out chords that
wouldn’t be out of place on a KISS record. The song is pop-tinged, a mature
sound enveloping it, however the captivating edge that made Gallows so
difficult to avoid is missing here. Sure, it’s a solid track with a lot of
positives, but fans of Carter’s past works may not be entirely happy with the
first look at what Pure Love is set to be. The web has already drawn
comparisons with The Darkness (based primarily on the guitar work in ‘Bury My
Bones’) and that is quite fair, especially when the guitar solo kicks in.
One thing that is clear is that
Frank is happy with this musical direction. His Twitter feed is clogged with
positive words about the project and thanks for the good feedback after this
song arrived. Pure Love will no doubt offer him a new challenge, but you could
argue that Carter quit Gallows before his time. If he just stuck around and
recorded just one more album with the band before venturing off, it may have
been the best Gallows record yet. But that said, if he wasn’t happy, then he
must be applauded for the bravery that comes with leaving a band at the very
top of their game.
Pure Love is vintage rock, modern
pop, singer-songwriter stuff, with a raw sound that some would say is too
simple and easy to do, but it has all of the right elements for the band to pay
off and have mainstream success. Frank is clearly a smart guy who isn’t afraid
to take risks, and this track will leave fans of him and those whose experience
of Pure Love is their first listen to Carter itching for a full-length release.
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