Gallows Slam Metro Station, Green Day

"It's physical and political," guitarist Steph Carter told Noisecreep about Gallows' music on their major label debut, 'Grey Britain,' which was released by Warner Bros in May. "No band anymore seems to make a statement about what is going on. Bands like Rage against the Machine had something to say and brought it to the kids. Nowadays, you get bands like Metro Station, who are pretty sure they've got nothing to say. They don't play their own instruments live. In my opinion, that's not a band. We found the problems in our own country and pointed them out in the songs on 'Grey Britain.'"

Indeed, Gallows embody the old school, fist-in-the-air spirit of Black Flag, but the band doesn't cop to "defining" or even redefining punk rock. Carter even turned the tables, posing the a question that has been argued by music fans over many a beer: "What is punk rock?"

"To me, being punk rock is when someone does what they want," Carter continued. "If being punk rock is being someone who doesn't pander to others, then yeah, we are a punk rock band. But Green Day is often considered punk rock. Gallows are the complete other end of that spectrum. When people come to our shows, they will leave thinking, 'I saw five guys from the UK kill themselves on stage.' Is that punk? Is it hardcore? Probably. We have the ethics of that scene, in that we do what we want to do. But we're not punk rock in the literal, three-chord sense. We do put a lot of thought into the music." It shows on 'Grey Britain.'