Denver Punks Destiny Bond Shatter Expectations with Gritty New Album

In the two years since the release of their debut album Be My Vengeance, Denver-based punk band Destiny Bond has undergone a remarkable transformation. Their sophomore effort, The Love, sees the five-piece group – comprising vocalist Cloe Madonna Janzen, guitarists Emily Armitage and Amos Helvey, drummer Adam Croft, and bassist Rio Wolf – exploring more introspective emotional terrain while simultaneously beefing up their sound.

Janzen's vocal performance is a prime example of this duality, as she commits entirely to a grizzled, phlegmy shriek, a stark contrast to the cleaner yelps she showcased on their debut. Meanwhile, her bandmates dish out even heftier riffs, particularly on the album's quasi-title track "Can't Kill the Love," which features a crackling guitar solo and burly backing vocals.

The band's punk ethos is further embodied by Janzen's dental mishaps at live shows, having lost a tooth at a recent gig in San Antonio, Texas – the second time she's experienced such an incident. This physical manifestation of the band's intensity and commitment to their craft serves as a fitting metaphor for Destiny Bond's overall approach, where pain can be liberating, anger can be productive, and hardcore can be vulnerable.

Lyrically, Janzen animates many of the songs with rallying cries for the trans community, to which she and bassist Wolf belong. However, the band's message of unity and resistance against oppression resonates with anyone struggling within their tight-knit scene, as evidenced by the unifying chorus of "Debt Perception": "We bash back/Break glass/Keep score!"