Totally stealing this story from a Mr. Jason Spruill, who posted on Facebook the following story in response to a question from Live Nation about “Most Memorable Concert Experience”. I’ll let Mr. Spruill say it in his own words;
Rob ZOMBIE sayin at MAYHEM in OKC 81410 were goin to get fined 2500 for every foul word we say. FUCK IT. I CAN AFFORD IT. I GOT MONEY TO PISS AWAY. MOTHAFUCKA MOTHAFUCKA MOTHAFUCKA MOTHAFUCKA MOTHAFUCKA JOEY UR PAY IS BEIN CUT IN HALF TONITE. LMFAO
Kopek is an Irish rock trio out of Dublin who released their first CD “White Collar Lies” on iTunes back in June. The hard copy version will be out in mid-September, so you still have plenty of time to decide if you want to download now, or go oldschool to wait for the disc. I say do the download as this is a band with a buzz – don’t wanna be late to the party, know what I mean?
The first single “Love Is Dead” (which is handily linked below for your viewing enjoyment) is catchy yet gritty, repetitious as hell which only serves to drive the melody home much like Enuff Z’ Nuff did with ‘New Thing’ back in the 80’s (that one STILL rings through my head at 3am sometimes).
Beyond that, the entire disc is infectiously well written, rocking out in places like “Cocaine Chest Pains” yet just as easily sliding into softer pieces (“Floridian” or “Bigger Than Us All”) without the band removing their ball sacs in the process. Fairly diverse in execution, “White Collar Lies” shows Kopek to be a band that doesn’t fit neatly into any record store category. If you must give them a label, ‘Modern Rock’ is probably the most accurate. An opening slot for Pearl Jam seems inevitable, at least to me.
Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Jordan has a bluesy, almost gravely quality to his voice that hints at the 10 years of roadwork this band has logged to date. Alongside bassist Brad Kinsella & drummer Shane Cooney, the threesome have honed their chops winning a myriad of battle of the band contests & playing the usual roadhouse night shifts – all leading up to their delivery of this most impressive debut effort. While not metal as is typically written about on these pages, I’ve literally had this CD in my car for about 3 weeks straight. To be honest, I’ve found the intricacy & depth of each song requires multiple listenings to fully appreciate.
Each song of this album could stand alone as a single if necessary; there is no ‘filler piece’ to round out the playing time of the disc. In fact, I find the track listing to be almost backwards as my favorite tunes are near the end (where a lesser band would bury a godawful cover of something by The Smiths and be done with it). Songs like the very Indie-ish “The Easy Way (D.B. Cooper)”, the surprisingly bluesy “Sub Human” or the minimalist “Sin City” which being dead last on the disc, is amazingly subtle . . . and haunts the mind like a new found memory (and excellently showcases Jordan’s range).
So check out the vid below with one word of caution; what you will see is but a single facet of a larger, and incredibly more complex, diamond in the rough. I look forward to seeing this one shine all on it’s own.
Seriously backlogged on CD & concert reviews so let’s play catch up, shall we? Tonight’s entry is from Locusta, an eponymous effort from this Death/Black metal outfit I reviewed as part of my Comfest post. They were incredibly tight live – was lucky enough to pick up their disk at the show (Thanks Dru!).
What lies beneath is a pretty impressive debut offering from ANY band – notwithstanding they’re local boys from Columbus, Ohio! In some ways Old-school in the vein of Morbid Angel, Benediction or Suffocation with a level of technical ability most bands only dream about. Melodic yet driving, powerfully executed without relying on heavy-handed repetition, Locusta paints aural nightmares with the skill of a Renaissance master.
Vocalist Brad Deerhake growls with succinct, deep echoes much like you find with Amon Amarth or Entombed – gurgling and murky when needed but most often sharply enunciated (& understandable). Dueling guitarists Dru Silver & Peter Hughes whip through intricate, precision crafted rhythms like a guitar instructional video – with one hell of a lesson plan! Squealing solos are interwoven with echoing, frenetic hooks that could shatter glass, only to lead away again into sinister hymns dripping with classical undertones. Joining them are the bass stylings of Scott Hyatt & intensely syncopated drum blasts of Geoff Gatts as they pummel the listener but avoid the “let’s play fucking fast just to be playing fucking fast” routine. By my count, Locusta is on their third drummer now (touring with Simon Tracy) & I honestly believe it’s because they wear the old ones out only to discard them in the woods somewhere. 🙂
While all of songs on this disc fall under the ‘Death Metal’ category, there is more diversity than one might expect if thinking of what is typical in the genre. Opening tune ‘War of Knaves’ is the brutal & fast type of intro piece that grabs your throat while simultaneously boiling the blood; ‘Mutiny’ has an excellent acoustic mid-section that fits like a glove but completely takes you off guard; ‘Dusk at the Mausoleum’ is a sludgier, doomier feeling instrumental that segues nicely into the instantly memorable ‘Into The Tomb’. ‘Vlad Tepes’ is another guitar-centric instrumental that will quite frankly, completely blow you away with it’s difficulty and adept delivery.
But if I have to pick ONE SONG that you should check out, I think it would be “Betrayed By The Sea”, which conjures necromantic imaginings in the mind a la Lovecraft with it’s haunting chord progressions & darkly brooding tones. Lucky for you, it’s on the band Myspace page HERE.
Do yourself a favor, my legions – go forth and listen. This is an amazing release & I truly look forward to what sonic monstrosities these gentlemen unleash next upon us!
Seriously backlogged on CD & concert reviews so let’s play catch up, shall we? Tonight’s entry is from Locusta, an eponymous effort from this Death/Black metal outfit I reviewed as part of my Comfest post. They were incredibly tight live – was lucky enough to pick up their disk at the show (Thanks Dru!).