Ron Gallo Unleashes Madman Vocals and Head-spinning Riffs On ‘Heavy Meta’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Ron Gallo has a sick, twisted worldview, and that is what you’ll love about his new record Heavy Meta. Gallo has an undeniable talent and a penchant for the dark and weird side of things. His commentary can be such a bummer, perhaps because he often hits the nail on the head. But you’ll never have such a blast getting down in the dumps than to Gallo’s wily garage rock and breathless howl. We only caught a glimpse of this in his Toy Soldiers days, and now he’s come fully into his own.

Take “All the Punks are Domesticated”, a sign-of-the-times song that offers Gallo’s take on everything from aging rockstars to public health to cultural currency. It’s painfully on point when he sings, “Meanwhile the pop tarts climb the pop charts/The blood clots block your heart parts/And no one really has anything to say…I will be forgotten in two generations/What will have been my big mark?/A couple little tears dangling in the dark/An impressive collection of digital remarks.” Gallo sounds his most self-assured, and his fearless stare into the futuristic abyss is both inspiring and terrifying.

Heavy Meta is explosive and confident, interesting and thoughtful, and ideal for head-banging and ass-shaking. There’s a retro glam punk sound happening, with enough guitar shredding to melt your face. “Put the Kids to Bed” offers up the record’s catchiest chorus, despite its depressing subject matter: the numbness of being a cog. “When we were young/We said one day/Honey you and I/We’re gonna share a grave/I didn’t know it was so soon,” he sings, confronting the horrible feeling of stifling yourself and falling out of love to the point of being sickened by someone. “Just hiding my black holes/Beneath blankets of love gone cold,” he finishes.

The guitar riffs on Heavy Meta are electrifying and head-spinning – the perfect match for Gallo’s unhinged madman vocals. He plays with fuzziness and distortion like a giddy kid in a candy store, creating his own oddball world of sound that is totally intoxicating.

“Don’t Mind the Lion” and “Black Market Eyes” are the album’s lone soft spots, and they’re both sad and lovely. Love songs, Ron Gallo-style, they are moody and vivid and just a little dangerous, with a psychedelic drip that builds and builds until it melts completely.

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