Gloomchild - In Summer – Song Review – Sludgy Melancholic Metal from Tampa, Florida, USA

Today I am reviewing In Summer by Gloomchild, hailing from Tampa, Florida, it is a great fit for the mood created by the perfect English weather in London today and I am excited to share my thoughts on the song, the band, and everything that it brought to my mind.

Gloomchild _ In Summer (Music Visual)

Written, produced, & mixed by GloomchildMastered by Mike Tucci

When somebody tells me “Hey you should check out this song” I usually check out who are the people behind it, so let’s learn about the authors of In Summer. Gloomchild is an alternative, gloomy metal band from Tampa, Florida, consisting of Justin Gregorio (vocals), Cody Cullen (bass), Joey Francois (guitar), Tom Kelly (guitar), Sherry Donataccio (drums), Josh Delucca (keyboard, synths). According to their Spotify bio “Personal struggle and hardship have always been at the heart of Gloomchild’s music. Whether it be navigating personal relationships, or reflecting on the world around us, Gloomchild weaves emotion ranging from hopeful optimism to deep introspection.”

First impressions: I love a diverse band, to me the more you mix genders, races, and attitudes, the better, and I don’t mean it in the cheesy ways that we see diversity being pushed nowadays. When a band has different individuals, it just becomes more eccentric, that’s it. All right, let’s hit the play button!

The song starts with a great riff accompanied by an interesting beat that accentuates the guitar. It takes a second to understand the groove behind it and at that moment the riff and the rhythm turn into a galloping feel and it just brings a sinister grin to my face, and I can’t really tell if it’s the rhythm or my approval of the music that moves my head. Probably both.

Gloomchild, band photoCredit: Unknown

Each part of the song is being played just enough so that you understand the idea, get the feel, and then move on to the next part, wasting no time. There are a few rhythm changes, and each of them has great grooves. The first time you listen, you immediately realize that drums (especially the kicks and snares) are the most dominant instrument in the song. The keyboards have been used almost in a sound design way, adding lots of digital artifacts, pops, cracks, ambiance, and even some percussive elements. I like the fact that the vocals are complex, with a few sounds going over at the same time, it never loses the heaviness yet gives a soft melancholic feeling, just like the lyrics of the song. I really like the guitar work and even though there are two guitars and a bass, they never take up too much space, resulting in the music surrounding you rather than hitting you like a wall.

The song is self-produced and mixed by the band and mastered by Mike Tucci who was credited as the mastering engineer for over 140 songs according to AllMusic.com. Here we see the importance of good mastering. I could tell that the song is self-produced and mixed, in a not-very-expensive way, and it’s not a bad thing at all - the song achieves what Gloomchild wanted to achieve and the quality of its mastering makes it a quality track worth listening to. I personally am not a fan of digital sounds but in Gloomchild’s case, they managed to incorporate those elements into their visual style as well. Their videos and images are stylized by early digital glitches, and it works perfectly with their sound and attitude.

Gloomchild, band photoCredit: Unknown

After listening to In Summer, I checked out Gloomchild’s social channels to see what they are up to and how they perform live. I highly suggest you check them out yourself, because I really liked the energy and musicianship they bring to even the small clubs. They are active on their Instagram and have good content overall. I think it’s one of the best ways to keep updated about the band. They released a full-length album and a couple of singles since the release of In Summer, last year.

If you like gloomy, sludgy, heavy, melancholic metal that has a good DIY sound, and lots of attitude, make sure that Gloomchild is on your radar.

As always, thanks a lot for reading!

Gloomchild, In Summer (2022) Single Front Cover Artwork Credit: Unknown

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