Slam Spotlight Part 6

You guys remember Cephalotripsy, right? Remember how I said the vocalist and drummer are in another really cool slam band? Well, uhhh... this is that band.

Condemned are everything you would expect from a band that's basically Cephalotripsy with two different guitarists. They have all the slams, puking gutturals and gory imagery of their sister band, but where these guys set themselves apart is they also have legitimate riffs. Cephalotripsy is pretty much all slam all the time, but Condemned's songwriting process actually puts the two guitarists to use. Throughout the album the songs switch sporadically between slow, chugging slams and breakneck speed blast beats and tremolo picking, all with a liberal application of pinch harmonics (for all you gee-tar players out there). This next video is from the band's 2007 full length Desecrate the Vile, and this song is particularly enjoyable because it has guest vocals from three other very talented vocalists, namely Levi Fuselier from Disgorge, Shawn Whitaker from Insidious Decrepancy/Viral Load and Sam Townsley from Parasitic, making for a huge, steaming pile of awesome. This little number is called "Chapter of Defilement".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOHV-aBY_7I

Desecrate the Vile is out now via Unique Leader Records, yet another solid underground death metal label. Condemned are also currently in studio recording their sophomore album in between the occasional gig or two, so be sure to keep an eye out for that in the near future, I'm sure I'll make a big stink about it here when it comes out. That's all for tonight, see you guys and gals tomorrow.

Fare thee well
-The Baby Killer

Slam Spotlight Part 2

Hola mis amigos, The Baby Killer's back to give you more music that would probably make your grandparents disown you for listening to. Today's band is generally regarded as one of the ultimate modern slam bands, and not just by yours truly. The band in question is San Diego's own Cephalotripsy, and when it comes to slam, these guys deliver in spades.

The thing that sets Cephalotripsy apart from their peers is their attention to detail. They know that there are a multitude of slam bands out there that sound almost exactly the same, and they found a way to stay true to the standards of the genre but still stand out. From frontman Angel Ochoa's instantly recognizable gurgle to songwriting that allows every song to sound just a little bit different than the others, this band stands head and shoulders above the rest, and for good reason. They know what the fans love and expect from them, but at the same time they're clearly not afraid to experiment and fiddle around with different ideas, and it pays off beautifully. Take a look for yourself; from their critically acclaimed (aka Sergeant D.-acclaimed) 2007 full length "Uterovaginal Insertion of Extirpated Anomalies", we humbly present to you "Intracranial Butchery".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETzddGq8oI

Sadly Cephalotripsy hasn't done much else since this, but not because they've broken up, but rather because all three members are keeping busy with their side projects. If you like what you heard, be sure to check out vocalist Angel Ochoa and drummer Forrest Stedt's side project Condemned (since it's basically Cephalotripsy 2), as well as Forrest's work in Texas gore masters Viral Load. Also guitarist Andres Guzman plays in Gortuary, another very talented slam band that will most likely get some exposure in this series in the future. Take care, and stay tuned for the new installments in this series as well as Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play very soon.

Sincerely,
The Killer of Babies