Wax Head are a group of young British malcontents that have been going around causing the good and decent people of Manchester to not sleep out of fear. Causing them to lock their doors and windows when the sun goes down, and wait up for their children at night to ensure their safe return home. The wolves are out in the city at night and looking to feed their unquenchable cursed hunger. The band has been around since roughly 2023 or so, they released an EP titled Salt Fat Acid Heat and a live LP Live in Salford in 2024. After that it's been a crumb trail of digital singles leading up to this, their first studio LP. Like mischievous serial killers, Wax Head were been dropping clues on where all the bodies are hidden. What laid waiting for us at the end of that trail definitely delivered!
GNAT is actually a breath of intoxicating air, something to actually get excited about in the rapidly expanding world of dark and desperate rock n roll. Notice I didn't say "fresh" air though. Fresh, clean, pure, or refreshing are not adjectives I would ever use to describe this band. Wax Head play loud, chaotic, guitar driven rock n roll that is injected with so much torment, anxiety and adrenaline, you'll find yourself ignoring everything and anyone else in the room and fixated only on the nocturnal black magic emitting from this record. When it's over, you'll find yourself dehydrated, heart pounding, and your skin coated in a thin layer of sweat. Musically, oh jeez, I don't even know where to begin. I don't even know if I can do this justice. I'll say a mix of Christian Death, A Place To Bury Strangers, cut with some Birthday Party, Throbbing Gristle and driven on an out of control locomotive with the throttle stuck on high speed by Lard. Usually new bands playing dark music turn me off with too much production and electronics. But bands like this or Self Incrimination, or Gossip Collar are more rooted in sweaty, noisy, death rock than a strobe lit, techno rave. Whatever the comparisons, this is a brilliant LP by a band that has a (bright?) future. Somehow that doesn't sound right. So I'll just say this band has a promising future for prosperity. But jump on this LP now, it's on limited edition clear vinyl from UK's Sour Grape records!
Buy or listen to Wax Head's GNAT LP at the links below
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