Artist of the Day: Goonies Never Say Die

It's hard to forget the first time you listen to a really memorable album; something that strikes something deep inside you, that makes you really think about the music, and how it applies to you. Although we haven't really heard any studio news from them in a little while, I wanted to feature Goonies Never Say Die because their last album was huge, and I know something equally as large is coming up from them within the next year or so.

Thrown together around 2007 in Blackpool, England, the band put out their debut release two years following. However, In A Forest Without Trees helped them garner a lot of attention from coverage sites in both metal and rock, portraying a masterful composition of both genres from early on in their career. And it clearly shows on tracks like "Don't Fight The Fire, Fuck The Arsonist" and "I Know, I Know, I Know," where the former constructs a beautiful instrumental atmosphere, and the latter breaks it all down with heavy distortion and sledgehammer-like force. Then, in 2010, the band does it all again, but with more finesse. No Words To Voice Our Hopes And Fears refines what the band presented on their debut, and essentially the same idea is presented on their sophomore. "I Love You But In The End I Will Destroy You" is as cinematic as their songs get, with a beautiful pairing of piano and reverbed guitar guiding us by the hand through a world at peace with itself, while "Dance Parasites Of The Dysfunctional Mind" is much darker, setting up the mood with haunting echoes from guitar plucking, a much more somber piano line, and an outro where everything comes crashing down after being so carefully set up, chaotic and madly rushing. The band re-iterates their message on their second full-length and shows the listener they can do the same thing even better the second time around, and it's inspiring to see them be able to improve that's already so good.

I definitely think we'll have a new release (at least an EP, if not a full-length) within the next year from Goonies. However, that isn't to say that we can't look back and have a look at what the band has already accomplished either. So, to really appreciate what's being said here, check out the debut and sophomore, and keep your eyes peeled for the next big thing from Goonies Never Say Die.

You can find the debut album here, and the sophomore album here, both available to listen to for free from Deep Elm Digital.