In an effort to look beyond the digital promo pile, I recently put out a call on social media for any bands or labels that were interested in coverage to get in touch. I mostly heard crickets, but I was also lucky enough to hear from Whammer, a new “blackened crust grind” band from Colorado, who sound lean, mean and pissed the fuck off on the demo tracks they graciously sent me to check out.
Fledgling cassette label Caligari Records has already impressed me once this year with their maiden release, the nasty-ass blackened thrash assault of DeathCult’s The Test of Time, and just a few short months later they’re back to deliver the black metal tape TKO to the skull of 2013 with the debut demo from Germany’s Unru.
Continue reading “Unru – Demo MMXIII (Caligari Records, 2013)”
In a recent conversation about music, my wife pointed out that I tend to gravitate towards stuff that is very raw and simplistic. I believe “garagey” was the term she used. She’s absolutely right. I guess this has long been the case, but I had never really thought about it consciously until she brought it up. I mean, I’ve certainly done my fair share of writing and espousing the virtues of raw, primitive music, but I never really considered just how much my listening preferences are dominated by these characteristics.
Continue reading “Blitzkrieg #8: Oooh Baby I Like it Raw (from the Trashmen to Transilvanian Hunger)”
It’s taken me quite a while to wrap my head around Morne’s Asylum. I’ve been listening to it off and on for a little over a month now and I’m still not sure I fully comprehend the band’s intent. But I’d like to think that I come a little closer every time I put the album on. I recently found a quote by Victor Hugo that makes me think I might be on the right track.
As a means of contrast with the sublime, the grotesque is, in our view, the richest source that nature can offer.
Metal is often grotesque. So many metal subgenres revel in ghoulish imagery, content to wallow in their own filth, espousing the virtues of death and decay. But heavy metal can also be sublime. Nowhere is this more evident than on Asylum, a recording that can best be described as a search for the sublime through heaviness. It’s the kind of album I want to get lost in, to totally immerse myself in its mesmerizing sonic realm.
It’s something about the guitar tone. Milosz Gassan and Jeff Hayward somehow channel ghosts through their amplifiers, pushing air that crackles with spectral electricity. The unearthly distortion comes in waves, crashing against the rhythms before crumbling into the aether ever so slowly, leaving phantom trails in its wake. The effect is haunting. I find myself thinking about it long after the album is finished, like faded memories of past lives.
As hypnotic as those guitars might be, they aren’t the only key component of Morne’s audial alchemy. A layer of keyboards lingers just below the surface, an oh-so-subtle embellishment to Asylum‘s wraithlike atmosphere. There’s more than a bit of the Peaceville Three in those keys, lending the music a stately, gothic quality. Gassan’s hoarse, bellowing vocals recall both post metal and the crustier side of hardcore, adding a touch of grit and aggression to Morne’s otherwise heavy-yet-ethereal approach. Simple, propulsive drumming keeps the rest of the band anchored to the Earth, while the bass guitar rumbles away like thunder muffled by thick windowpanes.
Ultimately, Asylum is like a flower, slowly coming into bloom to reveal untold beauty, only to wither away and die, its wilted petals scattered to the four winds. Over the course of the album’s hour long duration, Morne proves that heaviness can be a means for achieving an end other than the grotesque. Whether or not they have truly achieved the sublime is up to the individual listener.
Listen to Rampant Decay on Bandcamp.
Just about every band in heavy music today claims to mix hardcore and metal. Providence, Rhode Island’s Rampant Decay actually delivers, making a crusty crossover racket that’s the sonic equivalent of being locked in the clutches of the Tazzmission… in other words (for you non-ECW fans) it’s a brutalizing musical beatdown of skull-pummeling proportions. I caught up with vocalist Rich Horror and guitarist Pat Mahoney to discuss crossover, booze and professional wrestling.
THKD: Rampant Decay has been brutalizing the underground since 2007. How has the band changed/evolved/devolved over the years?
Rich: Initially it was supposed to be a American version of Brazillian thrash/death meets ignoramus 80’s Boston hardcore band, or that was the idea Pat Mahoney [guitars] had at the time. Our first bass player was Ninkaszi from Witch Tomb, and he brought a lot of Integrity-styled riffs. Once he left, Pat was the sole songwriter and started incorporating a lot more different influences, from Motorhead to Cocksparrer. Getting Pat Singleton on drums has just made us sound a lot leaner and meaner.
THKD: You guys play that bastard child of metal and hardcore that we like to call crossover. Is crossover making a comeback? Did it ever go away?
Pat: Crossover is making a comeback in some ways, but the kind of stuff we play is really different from what’s popular. When we say “crossover”, we’re really just referring to our music being a blend of styles rather than a specific genre.
THKD: What bands influenced Rampant Decay to take up this style? What is it about crossover that you find inspiring?
Pat: It’s just not as limiting as confining ourselves to one category. We set out to be the kind of band that could play HC, metal or punk shows and that versatility is important to us. Bands that are an influence are way too many to name but Rich and I originally wanted RD’s sound to be a mixture of early ’80’s New England HC (FUs, Negative FX, Jerry’s Kids) and dirty, primitive metal like Sextrash, Warfare, VON and Hellhammer. We definitely listen to all the original “crossover” stuff like C.O.C., Cryptic Slaughter, The Accused, Lethal Aggression, etc. Although we don’t sound a lot like those bands, we appreciate the idea of what they were doing with merging punk and thrash metal.
THKD: Many descriptions of Rampant Decay’s music make referrence to alcohol, such as “Drunk Edge” and “Beer-Soaked Fast As Fuck Crusty Crossover”. How much do you guys drink and what’s your booze of choice?
Rich: On a slow week we probably average a case per band member. Narragansett Beer, all the way. We should probably be sponsored by them for all the good work we do for their company. I’m also a fan of Schlitz. And malt liquor. And Jameson.
THKD: You guys recently put out a split 7 w/ Insult. What is the appeal of participating in split releases with other bands?
Pat: We try to do splits with bands whose music and attitude we have something in common with and who can help promote the record. Insult is a MA fastcore band that we’ve all been into since they put out “I Wanna Be a Burn Victim” back in ’94 and The Kruds are a new band from San Antonio, TX who play a Crossed Out/Plutocracy type of style.
THKD: Rampant Decay has a very DIY approach to just about everything you do. What is the appeal of doing everything yourselves? What are the disadvantages?
Rich: The appeal would be nobody telling us who we can record with, not having to get our artwork “approved”, being able to do splits with whatever bands we want to on whatever label we want to. Thanks to PATAC Records, the usual downside isn’t there really. Dan has been really great about getting the word out everywhere about our shows, releases, new merch, etc. I mostly enjoy booking shows so having to do that ourselves is no big deal, I’d probably hate letting that all lie in someone else’s hands anyway.
THKD: Rampant Decay has a page on Bandcamp. Would you agree that this site makes Myspace look like a steaming pile of shit? What is the appeal of using Bandcamp for a band like Rampant Decay?
Rich: I have no idea why MySpace even exists anymore. The very few times I go on it these days, it’s a complete eyesore. It’s as if to combat the invasion of Facebook and similar sites they decided to hire a fourteen year old girl from the Midwest to design it to look just like her LiveJournal. I really like how Bandcamp makes it possible to stream entire albums, I think if they upped the interaction and show listing aspect they’d be the unquestionable number one.
THKD: I know you’re a fan of pro wrestling. Who are some of your favorite wrestlers and matches? Do you guys have any songs about wrestling?
Rich: Taz, The Sandman, Dudley Boys, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Rhino, Harley Race, Arn Anderson, Stan Hansen, Terry Funk, Fabulous Freebirds, the list goes on and on. Pitbulls vs. Raven & Stevie Richards Double Dog Collar Match is probably my favorite thing that ever happened. We have a song called “Tazmission Chokeout Motherfucker” in the set right now. Some upcoming ones are going to be “Dudleys Forever//Forever Dudleys”, “Bruiser Brody Stomp” and “LARIATOOOOO” which is about my idol Stan “The Lariat” Hansen.
THKD: With that said, your band biography mentions a feud with the legendary Von Erich wrestling family. Who would win a cage match between Rich Horror and Kerry Von Erich? What would your strategy be against the Texas Tornado?
Rich: It’d have to be me, just to avenge the Freebirds when they lost that Loser Leaves Texas Cage Match in ’84. I’d just have Gordy break into the cage and batter the fuck out of the pretty boy. Choke him out with the Asiatic Spike while I was at it.
THKD: If I’m not mistaken, Rampant Decay is getting ready to head out on tour at the end of the month. What can fans expect from a RD live show?
Rich: Yep, we’re going out as far as Wisconsin before turning around and heading back home. A Cro-Mags meets Hellhammer sonic battering ram mixed with the best in-between songs heel promos this side of Jim Cornette. And so much booze.
THKD: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for Rampant Decay? Any new releases on the horizon?
Rich: We’re doing a split 7” with Kruds from Texas that’ll be out on their label Blast-A-Lot, Riotous Outburst from Connecticut among a few others. We’ll also be doing a split with Bitchslicer to commemorate their tenth anniversary as a band. After that, it’ll be a full length on PATAC Records that should be available in both CD and vinyl. Other than a few weekend tours we’re going to lie low in order to hit the songwriting with both barrels blazing.
THKD: You’re based out of Providence, RI. What is the metal/hardcore scene like there? Do you get much local support?
Pat: Providence has always had a thriving, diverse music scene. There’s a lot of metal/HC/punk here and there’s shows happening all the time. We have been catching on a bit more but since we’re a relatively new “local” band, it’s been slow to build.
Rich: The last show we played was a basement where I had kids bouncing off me every five seconds and the fluorescent light tube got rocked out of the fixture in the ceiling, so the reaction and support we have gotten thus far has been pretty great.
THKD: What are you listening to right now? Do you have any recommendations for THKD readers?
Rich: Teitanblood, Ramones, 3rd Bass, Dissection, Antiseen, Morbid Angel, In Disgust, Nunslaughter, Judas Priest, Abscess, Devil Dogs, Dio, AC/DC, Hard Skin, Winter. I could go on and on.
Pat: A few things I’ve been listening to are The New Bomb Turks “Destroy, Oh Boy!” LP, AGE (Jpn) “Survive” EP, the new Hookers 7″s, Sabbat/Desaster live split and Sadistic Intent (all). I recommend the Rampant Decay/Insult split 7″.
THKD: In addition to Rampant Decay, you also run the label/booking company Obscenity Cult. How did that come about and what are some of your current and upcoming releases readers should know about?
Rich: We just put out a CD by Blood Of The Gods entitled “The Shadow Before”. Total crusty death metal Entombed/Bolt Thrower worship. Coming up are the next two volumes in our Extreme Audio Gangbang comp series, a split 7” with Knifethruhead and Casket Blaster, sci-fi crossover thrashers Deathamphetamine’s “The Lost Album” and a release from the super stellar Led To The Grave. It’s gonna be a big year.
THKD: If you were able to book any bands you wanted to play the ultimate show, what would the lineup be?
Rich: Infest, Plutocracy, Spazz and Citizens Arrest. Or Entombed, Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower and Sadistic Intent.
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
Rich: Just thanks a ton for the interview and the support! Everyone should find us on the internet and order some merch or go to a show AND buy some merch because booze ain’t cheap.
[photos courtesy Rich Horror/Rampant Decay]
THKD 