Greg Puciato ‘Child Soldier: Creator of God’ Review: ex-Dillinger Escape Plan powerhouse vocalist explores diverse sonic terrain on solo debut.
Greg Puciato has been an artist drawn to extremes, and he’s stated as much in the press release for his debut solo album Child Soldier: Creator of God: “This record is me declaring ultimate freedom. With The Black Queen, I wanted to do something completely opposite from The Dillinger Escape Plan and show everyone that I’m more than just one thing. Ultimately, I realized that I’m both of those things—and all of this other stuff, too.”
Indeed, Child Soldier: Creator of God (out now via Federal Prisoner Records) showcases all of Puciato’s gifts: brutal, beautiful and all things in-between. As such, it’s a totally unpredictable listen, a sonic journey that never follows one particular path or formula.
The proceedings began with Heaven of Stone, a lush acoustic piece that lulls the listener intro a trance before the industrial clang of Creator of God breaks the spell with its pummeling percussion and distorted vocals, which is then followed by Fire for Water, an even more brutal industrial track that channels sonic urban decay ala Godflesh.
Deep Set is one of the album’s catchiest tracks, a unique hybrid of 90’s grunge and late 80’s sleaze rock that oozes nihilism, while Do You Need Me To Remind You has the tortured furor of classic Alice in Chains mixed with Dillinger Escape Plan’s muscular math metal, with Puciato’s multifaceted vocals at the peaks of their powers.
Temporary Objects channels the ambient R&B of his The Black Queen project. But it’s punctuated by a searing guitar solo (Puciato performs all musical duties, sans drums, which are performed by Chris Hornbrook of Poison The Well, former DEP drummer Chris Pennie and Converge’s Ben Koller) that’s truly stirring.
Elsewhere Puciato continues to surprise by getting out of his comfort zone. Down When I’m Not sounds like a roided out version of shoegaze, buoyed by a seasick My Bloody Valentine-like riff. Puciato’s vocals conjure indie rock indifference until he erupts into his patented feral howl, while Down When I’m Not’s tweaked ambient drones recall Shame off The Smashing Pumpkins’ underrated Adore.
A Pair of Questions is pure unadulterated synth-pop, while Evacuation is another industrial banger, a burrowing earworm with a respectful nod toward Trent Reznor. Heartfree is a distortion fueled anthem that again shows off Puciato’s six-string skills–a perfect mix of primal and accomplished playing that imbues real drama into the proceedings before ending with somber piano.
Album closer September City ties it all together, basically encompassing all of the album’s extremes in one song: starting off with the chilled atmospherics before erupting into searing guitar feedback and strident riffing, eventually coalescing into a mix of soaring vocals and guttural screams.
While Child Soldier: Creator of God may be a hard album to quantify or label, it’s harrowed, grab bag urgency is deeply engaging and accessible, even at its most caustic. In a year where we find ourselves burdened by intense emotions and unpredictable events that make us feel like we’re on a rollercoaster we can’t escape, it might be the perfect soundtrack for 2020.
