This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Their acronymic name stands for Government’s Fury Kills. They have songs called Years of Feminism Destroyed and Power is Invisible Until You Provoke It. And they’re on Winnipeg punk-activist label G7 Welcoming Committee.
That should tell you where Quebecois metal-punk powerhouse GFK are coming from politically. At least, it better — because trust me, you won’t get many hints from the half-hour of frenzied licks and blistering mayhem that is their third album If Liberty Isn’t Given, It Should be Taken. It’s not that GFK have nothing to say; far from it. Frontman Jessy Baron is continually spewing catchy little socio-political bon mots like, “The state, even if it sometimes seems useless, is still the weapon of economic devices.” Trouble is, once you factor in the chugging guitar grind, thundering double-bass drums and Baron’s own blowtorch vocal style, his hyperintelligent lyrics end up sounding like this: “Yarrrrrrghhhh! Blarrrbuuurrzzzz! Gluuurrrgggghhh!” Admittedly, you can’t argue with that. Nor, however, can you quibble with the awe-inspiring power and precision of GFK, whose limber amalgam of searing riffs and jackhammer rhythm dances on the razor-wire fence separating hardcore and heavy metal. Governmental fury isn’t the only thing that kills around here.
