The 1865 - John Brown's Gat

Music 4 years ago

The 1865 - John Brown's Gat

Powerful, soulful, and relevant; The 1865 band sing from a viewpoint of post-Civil War, purportedly emancipated, newly freed slaves. A comprehensive reading of America’s colossal failure to uphold these rights will tell you otherwise, fables of the Reconstruction indeed.

Anchored by the potent vocals of Honeychild Coleman soaring above a muscular fusion of rock/hardcore/punk/blues that reminds me of a cross between both I Against I and Quickness-era Bad Brains and the underrated German outfit, Jingo De Lunch, at their peak.

There are some seriously catchy melodic hooks that belie a bittersweet contrast to the horrific subject within: rape, infanticide, lynchings, subjugation, and dehumanization of a people that’s left festering wounds in the ensuing decades.