Corrosion of Conformity – Nov. 20, 2015

Here is a review I wrote on C.O.C’s stop in Vancouver for ABORT magazine.
It was a reeeeeal cool time.
–RFBE

Obsessed and Compulsive: Death Grips

Obsessed and Compulsive is a column I contributed to a friend’s zine called Heavy Metal Helps. It’s about binge-listening. Enjoy.

I’m the sort of person who not only listens to a lot of music, but I also tend to settle into long binges of one specific thing, basically consuming whatever music it is until there is almost nothing left. I then have to leave this music carcass and find another band/album/genre/whatever it is to feast on.

The band that I have found myself devouring rabidly for the last few weeks is the infamous Sacramento noise-rap trio Death Grips who recently put out the second half of their double album The Powers That B titled Jenny Death (the first half, released online last year, was called Niggas on the Moon)

As a person who is into heavy music I have been marginally fascinated with Death Grips for a few years now, at least since the release of their major label debut The Money Store and I closely followed all the shenanigans that followed (the short version being that: they leaked their follow up album NO LOVE DEEP WEB, effectively kicking themselves off their label, cancelled a number of shows without notice, disappointed fans, and last year allegedly broke up).

My interest began with the most obvious things – a “hip-hop” MC who was covered with occult tattoos and yelled violently onstage – and carried on from there for a strange reason, that being: I couldn’t figure them out. When I listened to the music I could hear it’s intensity, it’s heaviness, it’s fervor, but it also sounded like absolute chaos to me to the point that it made me physically uncomfortable. This of course piqued my interest further but I was still unable to “enjoy” listening to their music. So I didn’t.

Instead I followed news stories as they came up, read interviews (the Pitchfork interview from 2012 is full of wonderfully esoteric hoo-ha) and watched a rainy set they played at Sasquatch, enjoying it much more live, but still not “clicking”.
Not, that is, until I heard the first few singles for Jenny Death, those being “On GP” and “The Powers that B”. After that, I was hooked. I went back and downloaded their debut mixtape Exmilitary, both Money Store and NO LOVE… and (pardon the pun) I LOVE them all.

This is not the first time I have been rewarded like this for revisiting a band and I’m sure it won’t be the last. This time I think the two biggest factors were: Jenny Death has a bit more traditional instruments (read: guitars) which probably hooked me in and secondly, I had always checked out DG’s stuff on my laptop and this time I sampled them on a proper set of speakers. These are songs that demand proper speakers. Without the full effect of the bass they are much, much flatter.

I would have to say NO LOVE… is probably the one I listen to most, specifically “Come Up and Get Me”, “Lock Your Doors”, “No Love”, and “Bass Rattles Stars Out the Sky”; all very bass heavy and lyrically heavy songs. I am constantly finding myself googling lyrics as I hear them and they are universally nihilistic, paranoid, violent tirades against the world and the self.

Listening to Death Grips still makes me feel kind of physically uncomfortable and also a little insane, but I’m definitely “enjoying” it now, whatever that means.

Peace.

Erosion, Molten Lava, Dead Again, Waingro – Nov. 9, 2013 – Triple Three

Here is a review I did for Discorder Magazine for what was SUPPOSED to be an Erosion show. Check it out HERE and some of the bands tunes below.
-RFBE

Powerchord – Jan. 18, 2014 and Nov. 30, 2013

The latest episode of Powerchord at CiTR wherein I discuss some of my favorite metal releases from 2013 as well as a forgotten episode from last November which is an all Canadian show. Enjoy 🙂

Jan. 18, 2014 – VHOL, Deafheaven, Carcass, Gorguts, Inquisition, Vastum, Portal, Tribulation, Dead Again, KEN Mode, Power Trip…etc.

Nov. 30, 2013 – Anvil, Voivod, Blasphemy, Infernal Majesty, Devin Townsend, Chapel, Anciients, Woods of Ypres, 3 Inches of Blood, Bison BC…etc.

Powerchord – Oct. 26, 2013

Some Halloween horrors and other heavy shit on the latest podcast for Powerchord at CiTR. Destroy ear drums at the link below.
-RFBE

ROCKtober 26 – Samhain, Vattnet Viskar, Tribulation, Ministry, Dying Fetus, Red Fang, Kreator, Mortician, Necrophagia, Type O Negative….etc.

Powerchord – Oct. 5, 2013

For your listening pleasure, yet another episode of Powerchord, setting the airwaves of the lower mainland ablaze. Click the link below. Enjoy.
RFBE

Oct. 5, 2013 – SYL, Diamond Head, Celtic Frost, Inquisition, Crowbar, In Solitude, Church of Misery, etc…

The National – PNE Amphitheater – Sept. 22, 2013

A review of The National’s show with Frightened Rabbit at the PNE in the pissing rain on a Sunday. Perfect. Check it out at Scene in the Dark HERE and watch the hilarious video for “Graceless” below…

Washed Out – Fortune Sound Club – Sept. 3, 2013

Hi everybody!
So this is a review I did for Scene in the Dark of Ernest Greene’s electro-pop project Washed Out. Tight as a drum. Check it out HERE and watch the video for “Soft” below…

Powerchord – June 22 and August 24

Well folks, I know I have been absent for awhile, but sometimes a guy just has to pay the rent and NOT do every other cool thing that comes up.
That being said, I did manage to squeeze a couple episodes of Powerchord into my summer schedule and here they are.
Enjoy!
–RFBE

June 22 – DRI, Pantera, Burialkult, Lightening Swords of Death, Baptists, Black Wizard, Deafheaven…

Aug. 24 – Black Sabbath, Danzig, Archspire, VHOL, Electric Revival, Watain, Mercyful Fate, The Accused, Carcass, Saint Vitus, Entombed…

Clutch and Orange Goblin – April 3, 2013

Yo! Here is a little review I did for ABORT of Clutch’s appearance at the Commie. Word.
–RFBE