The Barbarians Of California - And Now I'm Just Gnashing My Teeth - Album Review

Shit Talk Reviews

At long last, two of the three buffoons that make up Shit Talk Reviews finally sat down to talk about what will be certainly considered one of the best albums of 2024: And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth from new LA based powerhouse The Barbarians Of California. The album smacks of rock, metal, punk, hardcore, thrash and has a few surprises thrown in here and there just to keep us all on our toes.

The band’s lineup brings serious pedigree to the table with Eric Stenman on guitar and bass (Tinfed, 35 year studio guru as engineer, producer, mixer and stunt guitarist,) Aaron Bruno (singer of AWOLNATION, Under The Influence Of Giants, Home Town Hero,) Isaac Carpenter (drummer for AWOLNATION, Gosling, Loaded,) and Zach Irons (guitarist for AWOLNATION.) They also brought in Tim McIlrath from Rise Against and Daryl Taberski of Snapcase for guest appearances.

While you might immediately assume that with such an AWOLNATION heavy lineup that The Barbarians Of California would be a similar band, you’d be wrong. There are certainly some AWOLNATION seasonings sprinkled on the album, but this record is a definite departure from that. Aaron’s vocals are frantic and unhinged while maintaining perfect control, the guitar work by Eric and Zack is groovy, thrashy and pristine and Isaac’s drumming is powerful and lays a heavy heartbeat for this new breath that’s been pumped into our musical lungs.

The band brings serious heavy to this album and it’s a fantastically refreshing listen. It covers a bunch of genres, but stays cohesive throughout. It absolutely warrants listening to. You should also check out the interview the Shit Talk guys did with Eric Stenman a few weeks back to get deeper into the band and the album.

Be sure to head over to www.shittalkreviews.com for all the other Shit Talk interviews and reviews.

Check out the band’s website here: https://www.thebarbariansofcalifornia.com/

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