Noise, as made by Gospel Truth on third album Jealous Fires, hearkens the discordant clash of Gang of Four in Patrick Travis’ guitar figures, Devo’s herky-jerk in the David Petro/Brandon Crowe rhythm section, and the snarling darkness of Australian gloom-mongers the Birthday Party in overall atmosphere. To accuse the locals of ripping any of that off would seem heretical given that even calling it “post-punk” proves far too limiting. Instead the Truth, as topped off by cool-as-ice singer Mark Tonucci, fuses together like-minded broken shards into nightmare scenarios disguised as pop songs, juicing the works with enough caffeine to cripple Henry Rollins. “No” and the title track attack fierce as stalking tigers; “Hunger Artist” and “You Don’t Want Us” burn like boiling oil. A faithful cover of the Scientists’ savage “Set It on Fire” (apparently a righteous contractual obligation for local imprint 12XU) comes off as light relief on Jealous Fires. Few bands make atonality as treasured as the Gospel Truth.

****

This article appears in September 16 • 2016.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.