Album Review: Short Bus Pile Up - Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery

For the love of all that is brutal this album is good. I had heard from a friend or two that is was one of the best releases of last year, and after listening through it multiple times I wouldn't say they were incorrect, because this is in fact a fantastic album. Hailing from Fredericksburg, VA, Short Bus Pile Up play a mix of brutal death metal and slam, and they blend the genres with shocking fluidity. One moment it'll sound like I'm listening to some new Cannibal Corpse, then the next minute I feel like I'm listening to Abominable Putridity. This isn't a bad thing, however, because as previously mentioned, the blending of the styles is very smooth and nothing ever feels tacked on.

Then there are the instruments, all of which do a great job for the most part. As is to be expected, the bass is nearly inaudible, but I'm pretty much used to that being the case with most heavy music. I would have really liked more of an emphasis on the bass, because if used correctly it can make a slam band sound much heavier than it would be without, but what can ya do? The guitars play brilliantly placed chromatic riffs that sound unbelievably heavy at points and never let up. The drums however are the prized jewel of the band. Some drum parts are ridiculously fast and intricate, like the blast beats in "Urethral Myaisis," while some parts are slow, yet brutal enough to keep the slams nice and heavy.

And the slams, oh the slams. I haven't heard a band that uses slams so intelligently since Abominable Putridity. It never feels like the songs revolve around them, but there are plenty to go around to keep you headbanging. It is easy to lose track of which song you're listening to however, which is my other problem with the album. A lot of the tracks sound eerily similar to each other on the surface, and unless one is listening very closely it's easy to get lost.

The two qualms I have with this album shouldn't be an invitation to ignore it however. Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery is an extremely solid release from an up-and-coming band that you need to keep an eye out for. Definitely one of the top releases of 2010.

8/10

The Baby Killer's Other Albums That Were Pretty Good of 2010

See that? I stuck to my New Year's resolution. For now...

Anywho, when I looked back at my best of 2010 list, I realized that there was a lot of stuff left out of it, either because it was getting late and I was tired or I just plain forgot about them, so I think I'll close out the week with a continuation of sorts. The following albums were also really damn good and are definitely worth picking up.

Fleshwrought- Dementia/Dyslexia

Tech death fans rejoice, this album is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's a collaboration between Navene Koperweis (not to be confused with the girl from Avatar) of Animals As Leaders and Jonny Davy of Job For a Cowboy, and I gotta say, I have no idea how so much talent can come from two people. Actually, Navene plays all the instruments and Jonny just does the vocals, but it's still arguably his best work to date. If you want to get an idea of what it sounds like, first I would suggest you, I dunno, buy the album and listen to it, but for those of you who need to be wooed first, think The Faceless' first album but WAY heavier and beefy-sounding (which is fitting since Navene played for The Faceless for a while), and obviously with Jonny Davy doing vocals. The music is superbly written and manages to be experimental as all hell, yet undeniably catchy. I'll go on record and say that Mr. Koperweis is one of the best metal musicians of our generation, and his passion for what he does shines through brilliantly on Dementia/Dyslexia. Get it, and get it fast, but I must warn you, the outro to the song "Weeping Hallucinations" will make you feel like you just did a lot of drugs, even if you didn't. And if you did do drugs, for the love of Christ save yourself and turn it off now!

Dimmu Borgir- Abrahadabra

Yes, I'm well aware that this album has been getting a lot of flak lately, so much so that Dimmu was actually named the Worst Band of 2010 in Terrorizer Magazine's reader's poll, but fuck you, it's my best of list, I'll put whatever I damn well please on it, and I happened to like this album, thank you very little. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love a good powerful melody, and what better way to do just that than to record with an entire orchestra? And not that MIDI shit either (I'm looking at you, Winds of Plague), but the real thing. Despite no longer having the two members that made them great, Dimmu managed to put out an album that flat-out defines the phrase "symphonic black metal" by perfectly combining the two genres. They do stumble occasionally (I try to just ignore Agnete Kjølsrud's curious screeches in the first half of "Gateways"), but for the most part the band and the orchestra compliment each other nicely, creating a truly epic sound that they haven't achieved since "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" first gave us brain aneurysms. Not bad for a band that doesn't have a full-time drummer, bassist or keyboardist. Now they just need to bring Vortex back and everything will be right with the world.

Hour of Penance- Paradogma

The general atmosphere of this album can be accurately summed up in three words: blast... fucking... beats! The Italian quartet's latest offering doesn't slow down a bit for its entire duration, and I don't really have a problem with that, like at all. Machine gun drums, gnarly riffs (with occasional shredding), rapid fire vocals and crisp production are what make Paradogma a keeper. Believe me when I tell you folks, this is brutality incarnate. If you can find someone who isn't intimidated by such blasphemous gems as "The Woeful Eucharistry", "Thousands of Christs" and "Spiritual Ravishment", then I'd say you just found yourself a new friend. There's not much else I can say that wouldn't end up being redundant at this point, so just get the damn album and enjoy.

Fleshgod Apocalypse- Mafia

For everything you need to know about Fleshgod Apocalypse's new EP, see the above paragraph but sprinkle the songs with audio clips of classical music. 'Nuff said. Although to be honest I don't really know what the giant octopus has to do with anything, but whatever, it still looks scary.

Short Bus Pile Up- Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery

Last but certainly not least, you may remember these Virginia slamsters from when we featured them in Slam Spotlight a while ago, and they were put there for a very good, very simple reason: their new album is bad-fucking-ass. The only way I can describe it is that the band just got everything right, from the guitar tone to the snare tone to Tyler Sharpes' vocal tone; any tone you can think of, they thought of. And the music ain't too shabby either, with plenty of catchy grooves, brutal slams and just the right amount of new songs and re-recordings to please fans both old and new. If you're looking to get your mosh on, put on songs like "Ball-Peen Beating", "Stench of Her Burning Flesh" and "Gagging On Dick" and see if they don't make you wanna grab someone smaller than you and throw them just for the fuck of it.

Alright, now we can put 2010 behind us for good. It was a pretty rad year for metal, but the forecast for 2011 is looking pretty damn bright as well, so here's to the future. Tell us what your favorite metal memories of 2010 were, or what you're looking forward to the most this year, in the comments below.

TGIF
-BK (gaaahhhh too many acronyms!!!)

Slam Spotlight Part 5

Statistical fact: only 25% of the people in this picture actually saw the camera

Now that we've had this series going for a little while, I think it's high time I gave some props to a band that I actually sorta-kinda-somewhat know personally (translation: I saw them at a show in Delaware about a year ago and chatted with them and they're awesome and I stalk them on Facebook because I'm cool like that). Without these guys, I would never have gotten into slam, and I owe them big time for it, so everybody give it up for a band that is very near and dear to me: Fredericksburg, Virginia's own Short Bus Pile Up.

While these guys may not necessarily bring anything game-changing to the genre, they do have a very natural, organic sound, and all of the individual members are locked in with each other perfectly, resulting in insanely catchy riffs/slams and musicianship tighter than a camel's asshole in a sandstorm. Basically, they're nothing new, but they are damn good at what they do. I could drawl on about them until the cows come home, but I'll attempt to retain some of my machismo and just let you all see for yourselves. From their crushing new full length Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery, this is a little number called "Stench of Her Burning Flesh".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ow1-QDOxUY

Although they've been active for the better part of five years now, Short Bus just recently penned a deal with Sevared Records, and for those of you who don't know, this is a very good thing, because they're pretty much the Metal Blade of all things slam and/or brutal death.  These gentlemen should be proud to be on such a prestigious label, and subsequently Sevared should also be proud to have a very solid addition to their already stellar roster. If you liked what you heard here and are in their neck of the woods, Short Bus Pile Up is playing a show with Waking the Cadaver and Dysentery (another very good band that will definitely be featured in this column in the near future) on January 14th. Yeah I know, Waking the Cadaver is boring as hell, but their touring bassist is actually a good buddy of mine, and honestly I can think of way worse bands to open for, so get over there and show them some love. And if you can't make it, at least pick up the CD.

Hail Satan and stuff
-The Baby Killer

The Baby Killer's Take Part II: Brutal, not Br00tal

Below you'll find another well worded rant from writer the Baby Killer. It's not about hardcore dancing necessarily, but it's definitely worth a read. Think of this as part two in introducing him as a writer. I insist you read on.


It's cute how people listen to some silly mainstream band like Atreyu, In This Moment, Bring Me the Horizon or something to that effect and think just because they listen to bands that have distorted guitars that they're "brutal" and that they have some semblance of a clue what metal is. Now, I'm not usually an elitist by nature, I'm normally pretty carefree. It's your right as a person to like whatever you want to like, and I try not to deride people for liking something that I don't, but seriously, this shit's gotta fucking stop.

Less than a day after the Mayhem Festival came to town this past summer, I noticed an outpouring of stupid preppy bitches ranting on their Facey-Spaces about "fucking shit up in the pit at a Lamb of God show my friend took me to at the Tweeter Center". Don't kid yourself slut, you were there to see Atreyu or Korn or Rob Zombie. You're just trying to look tough for your friends because, for some inexplicable reason, metal is rising in popularity, and you're subconsciously trying to stick with the "in" crowd. You want a real metal show, with pits that make even me nervous, someone who regularly attends them and has received more than his fair share of lumps in the process? Try moshing for Cannibal Corpse and see if you make it out alive. You want real metal bands, not trendy, flash-in-the-pan bands that are only popular because Hot Topic jerks them off? Try going to some shitty bar in south central Bumblefuck to see the underground bands that bust their asses trying to get their name out, and are willing to play at midnight on a Tuesday to seven other people, because those seven people are the real fans. They're the people that go to shows because they genuinely love the music and want to support the bands in whatever small way they can, not because everyone else is going to be there and there are a couple bands playing that you like because you saw one of their videos on MTV2 or some shit. Try going to shows for bands like Short Bus Pile Up, Gutted Out, Lethean, Cerebral Bore, Jungle Rot or some other band that you've probably never heard of. The tickets are cheaper, the bands are exponentially more talented, and the whole experience is so much more gratifying, because you know that you're contributing to something far more intimate and special.

The underground is where you'll find the true talent, the bands that are doing what they're doing because they truly love to, and are putting their blood and sweat into it because it means that much more to them. In other words, as cliche as it might sound, don't pay attention to the mainstream bands and stick to the underground. Mainstream bands are a given, and more often than not they end up becoming stagnant, boring and watered down, because the labels and industry executives find out what the general public likes and stick to it until the next big trend (aka "cash cow") comes along. The underground, unknown bands will always be the ones who never compromise or falter, and the fans who support those bands and go to the shows at the bars, fire halls, Elks lodges, church basements, etc. will always be the truest of the true. In fact, metal itself should never have been allowed to become mainstream in the first place.

Metal has always been about rebellion, individuality and anti-establishment mentalities, so becoming mainstream contradicts and undermines everything that metal supposedly stands for. It feels great to know that you like something that few others do, but now all of a sudden every fourteen-year-old girl with black hair and boy problems is wearing a Slayer shirt even though they only know "Reign In Blood" because they played through it on Guitar Hero. Sure, "Funeral Thirst" was and still is a great song. Sure, Job For a Cowboy has some pretty cool songs, especially in their more recent albums. Hell, I even like a good breakdown once in a blue moon. However, the point is the popular has now become the norm in metal, and as a result the lesser-known but undeniably more talented bands that I listen to are now frowned upon by the same exact people that claim to love metal. If you love The Black Dahlia Murder and Job For a Cowboy and Whitechapel, what's wrong with Necrophagist, Suffocation or Cannibal Corpse? Those guys are direct influences to the mainstream acts, without them they wouldn't exist. If you're so hard up for deathcore and breakdowns, why not listen to bands that have a great groove but are still brutal as fuck, like Dying Fetus or Abominable Putridity? And if you love those stupid clean auto-tuned choruses so much, why not listen to bands with naturally gifted singers like Dimmu Borgir or System Divide? For Christ's sake, ICS Vortex sang opera before he got into metal, he doesn't need any vocal processors, he's already got a beautiful, powerful voice that sends shivers up my spine.

In closing, what I'm ultimately trying to get across is that if you want to feel special, go out of your way to check out the underdogs. Every single day, I feel empowered, because I listen to music that is there for me no matter what, music that tells me I can be as strong and powerful as I want, as long as I stand my ground and never surrender, and these posers are actively eroding it out from under me. You think you're metal? I'll see you in the pit at the shows for Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Skeletonwitch and/or Deicide. Keep an eye out for me, I'll be the one caving your skull in with my boot.


How do you guys feel? Agree with the Baby Killer? Disagree? I know I completely see where he's coming from, but I actually love Lamb of God pits (see http://moshrebellion.blogspot.com/2010/10/sick-breakdowns-to-mosh-to-pt1.html) and am a surprisingly big fan of Rob Zombie. Weigh in below...