After listening to this album I did some reading and discovered that Gallows are signed to a major record label. As talented as they are, this is not the sort of album that's ever going to sell well, so this was somewhat unexpected. That's Warner's problem, though. Gallows have much bigger problems to deal with; namely, the end of the world, the destruction of mankind, the bit where we all die, and then the part where it's up to mankind "fucking start again". Sounds fun.

If you aren't already panicing about the future of humanity, having 52 minutes of rage sent in your general direction is a good way to get rather concerned. "Grey Britain", as its title suggests, paints a rather gloomy picture of the state of the UK, and indeed, of the rest of the world. In 13 songs, Frank Carter screams about corruption, corporations, governments, kids, knives, drugs, shoddy parenting, horses (and how to kill them), and plenty more. I imagine the Parental Advisory Recommended sticker on the album would have pissed him off quite a bit. Most things seem to.

I should be fair; the album is not all random, uncontrollable hysterics, though it may sound like that to many listeners. Opener The Riverbank (as distinct from track 8, The Riverbed, which this reviewer could only describe as random, uncontrollable hysterics) starts with a great demonstration of Gallows' non-vocal capabilities, and begins to sample the rather impressive orchestra they've worked with on this album. It gives a bit of variation at times. The song also sets the scene pretty well. Google the lyrics, there's no real need to quote them all here, but essentially, Carter informs us that "we are ready... to die". So, with that clarified, the album really kicks off.

Songs like London is the Reason make Carter's intentions, lyrically, instrumentally, and vocally, pretty clear, as he wails about the main cause of the problems that have led to a Grey Britain (hint; the cause is London). On Death Voices he declares that "this is the end of the world/and we're ready to die", before suggesting that you may want to "fucking kill yourself". Then he gives you the opportunity to chant this back at him, if you haven't, you know, killed yourself already. The song abruptly stops about a minute out and gives way to some orchestral instrumentation. It adds a nice touch, but it does feel a bit... well... quite a lot... out of place. Not that I'd accuse a band like Gallows of being gimmicky, but they're better off just pummelling you with their power chords and occasionally playing around with a few different riffs, as they do on, for instance, Leeches and Graves (co-starring Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil).

There are moments when the album doesn't try to kill you, and instead leaves this to the corporations, governments, etc. etc. that it's targeted against. The opening minutes of Misery and The Vulture go relatively low key, giving the listener a break while Gallows regather and and begin shouting at things again. In The Vulture Carter sings melodically over an acoustic guitar. In this way, nobody is safe. Even if you can't decipher his metallic wailing, it's a bit more difficult to ignore Carter at low key. The song is split into acts; act II repeats act I's lyrics, but over a characteristically heavy riff. This is Gallows doing accessible... let's just say the effort is appreciated.

The album closes with Crucifucks, which fades to Carter backed by a marching drum beat, and then nothing, as he proclaims that Britain is dead and asks that we start things over. And so Gallows do, as "Grey Britain" is completed by four minutes of orchestra. There's no rage. No screaming. Nothing hardcore. Nobody ("fucking") dying. It's peaceful, melodic, and a stark contrast to the rest of the album. It's a nice way to unwind, but going through an album of being wailed at just for that probably isn't worth the sacrifice. "Grey Britain" will not appear on any national top 10 lists or produce any hit singles, but it will have a powerful impact on anyone who lives through it.

Incidentally, Misery ends with the sounds of a pig dying (yes, yes, we get it, everything's going to die, very subtle). So, yes, it is possible to not survive this album.