GU Medicine hail from Barnsley and were formed in 2003; ‘Saints of Excess’ is their second album, a follow-up to their self-titled debut from a couple of years ago. MySpace describes their influences  as ‘Old Rock, New Rock, New Wave and Metal’ and that is a pretty good summary of the kind of material served up here, a combination of old school licks and modern metal without a ballad in sight. Having already done sessions for Radio 1 and XFM and recently toured with My Ruin, GU Medicine have established a foothold in the industry and this release should enable them to consolidate that position. 

‘A Meeting With Foul Play’ kicks things off in style, full of angst and yet with an uplifting riff and instantly memorable hooks, the band’s raw energy coming to the fore. ‘The Price I Pay’ continues in a similar vein before the rallying cry of ‘You’ll Never Make it Stick’, which is a very good example of  what GU Medicine do best, containing the eccentricities of Killing Joke with the groove of early AC/DC.  

‘Taking Her Lead’ and ‘Bring It To Heel’ have a rhythmic ferocity and vocal delivery reminiscent of Ian Astbury and The Cult, mixed up with brusque riffing and a down and dirty production. The Conclusion of A Death Ride’ marks a brief sound effect introduction to ‘Amphetamine Express’, a ragged and unrelenting pile-driver that more than lives up to its name. Across the twelve tracks there are some throwaway moments, in spite of the intriguing titles ‘Mind Like A Motorbike’ and ‘Girl From Chittagong’ fail to live up to expectations and on occasions sheer energy outstrips songwriting quality. But even if everything doesn’t quite hit the mark this is still well worth checking out and, for a band still in the early stages of its development, promises much for the future.  

A bit rough around the edges at times, but I’m sure that’s just the way they like it. 

‘Saints of Excess’ is released by Undergroove Records on August 14^th.

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Track List

Line Up

Lee Medicine - Vox/Guitar
Ryan Medicine - Bass/Vox
Dale Medicine - Guitar/Vox
Pete Medicine - Drums/Vox