Moonkisser Man – Eating Dope Bodies – Jer Bang
Three quick reviews, first one by Cuzface – the other two signed off by me. John Meat. Man- Eaters / Moonkisser / Dope Body
Man-Eaters – “Gentle Ballads for the Simple Soul” Review
All right, reviews I have done have been well within the hardcore realm and no questions asked. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/scowl-ep-santa-cruz/
This time around we are going to delve in to a more freak rock band but one that still has hardcore “sensibilities” and “roots” if you will.
Now this Chicago troupe dropped this slab in February 2020. I usually try to be current and topical :)…but this I slept on at first and realized how wrong I was to do so. https://man-eaters.bandcamp.com/album/gentle-ballads-for-the-simple-soul
As for the H/C roots, the band contains members from equally cool, more hardcore leaning bands Tarantula, Culo and Bleeding Gums(which actually go a little garage punk actually). However, in this incarnation, they have a fascinating mix of specifically punk and rock. I usually have my two bits but I think their Bandcamp page gives a pretty interesting breakdown…
“Gentle Ballads for the Simple Soul” sits at the perfect crossroads of ugly ’81 LA punk/HC (think “The Decline” or “Hell Comes to Your House”) and glammy mid-70’s American hard rock. We’re talking high quality stuff like the first albums from KISS or BANG!
MAN-EATERS combine the precision and drive of golden era US hardcore/punk with the fluid riffing and driving rhythms of 70’s hard rock, perhaps bordering on NWOBHM territory as well.”
To be honest that is probably the best you are going to get as they are a band that to me have a more genuine, “unique” sound. Not that what they have done, has not been done before, in some capacity. But they are quite unique sounding for this day and age. The best I can do is they give me a Los Olvidados vibe with Motorhead riffage.
Some of it definitely comes from the lead singer. I use that term specifically because you can have “vocals” on some music, but this guy is a LEAD SINGER. He really makes it come alive and sounding like very few other voices that I have personally heard in my life.
There are nine tracks on this scorcher so I won’t get too granular but definite stand-outs are as follows – the amazing “Living in the Savage Land”, the mid-tempo, dirty sounding “Baptized in Spit”, and the decidedly Motorhead-y “Taste Concrete”.
All this with crazy epic “Bad Acid Trip” cover art and there you have it. Rock out until your eyes bleed!!!
– Cuzface
Moonkisser – Summer’s Fleeting Majesty – Head To Wall Records
I found out about Moonkisser on Axe To Grind Podcast and thought I should check it out http://apple.co/2m9bQJY
Upon looking them up online, lo and behold, new demo. “Summer’s Fleeting Majesty” is out as of September 4th. Artwork looked great, duotone high contrast. After one listen I deduce they are trying really hard to be Quicksand. I teleport back to 1996. At that time there were a multitude of bands doing this. To the extent that I could no longer keep track of how many Quicksand “influenced” bands there were.
Back to “Summer’s Fleeting Majesty” EP. I’m all in for the title. Love the band name as I got a thing for the moon. When I hear their music, I am surprised to the extent of Moonkisser trying to replicate Quicksand. The guitar tone is almost identical. Something is off.
Guitar tone sounds like when you play a modeling preset on amp or processor. The tone is recognizable as the said musician or band, but it still not said artist.
Vocals sound very much like someone who is singing as Walter Schreifels sings on Quicksand 7″ to Manic Compression LP. However they could be going for the post Turning Point project “Godspeed” vocal sound(which also was heavily sounding like Walter). The songs do have a touch of the 90’s emo bands that came out of the D.C. post hardcore sound. I cannot back most of those bands although people have told me that they have made a comeback. They will remain nameless because honestly I gave them a listen back in the day and it just wasn’t my thing. I choose to not remember them. I do remember Drift Again, and still enjoy a spin of that occasionally. If I am going to emo before it had the emo label thrown on it I’d rather hear Shudder To Think – Ten Spot.
Back to Moonkisser. I guess if their goal was 90’s post hardcore revival sound they nail that. Consequently, I cannot see/ hear past the similarities of what has been done. Some sounds didn’t resonate through time for a good reason. Quicksand, like it or not, ushered in a new sound. Within a year or two after the first Quicksand 7″ began a slew of copycats.
I absolutely love Quicksand.
I am more forgiving to the copycats than many of my hardcore friends. (they tend to be vinyl o philes and purists) That being said, there was just too much un memorable post hardcore. Moonkisser could easily wind up there. I’m banking on them to do something unprecedented as to break free from this. At the end of the day it’s really their choice and I don’t know future intent.
To Moonkissers’s credit, the production and playing is well done. If they could find their own sound within the pool of which they swim, that would be far more impressive. Their song “Encounters” lifts Quicksand’s Dine Alone opening riff mercilessly. Unlike some of the other guitar tones on this EP it is spot on. By that time in the EP I was wishing for something not in that vein, rather a departure or surprise.
“Summer’s Fleeting Majesty” leaves me wondering, how much can you lift from a band (s)? The record label is “Head To Wall” which happens to be a song title by Quicksand. It seems Moonkisser has done all they can to give nods to their influences, save for having Alan Cage play as a guest. – John Meat
Dope Body – Jerbang – Drag City Records
Take this for what you will. This video is fun to watch, the song ensnared me. JerBang video looks like a commentary saying “Do not go into this small town because there are freaks of a Children of The Corn like nature there to scare the shit out of you or worse. Images of taxidermy and bandmates with masks that make them look like septuagenarians (or older). The footage of the band playing is shot well. Fire elements are present. Let’s face it , this is the closest I canl get to seeing anything like this until touring resumes.
When I think of Drag City and heavy music that is on the periphery of metal, I can’t help to recall the Fucking Champs. I am not implying that Dope Body are in the league of label mates The Fucking Champs. Two different feels, but both are three piece bands on Drag City records.
After quick viewing I am pleasantly surprised. However after more investigation into their music who knows, my opinion could change. I do want to know more.
Dope Body have a command of their instruments, they seem like they can pull off various power trio tricks. Jer Bang is not quite full on metal.
The opening riff is a quick run on the fret board that is like a snapshot of a piece of a power metal solo.
It abruptly stops and starts. They are not afraid to fuck with Steve Albini Shellac esque rhythms. In context, where I am at, I grow bored with lots of metal these days. JerBang has some metal elements. It’s head bangable but there are more parts in the mix than just that. It is not as technical as cookie cutter metal or math rock. More straight forward, angular, less parts. They do not try to cram as many notes into a 2 second riff … and thank you for that.
They summon allies that have graduated out of straight time punk and hardcore.
There is a feral quality that you find in the mid to late 80’s hardcore/punk rock and onward in this song. Also the noisier heavy alternative sound that the mainstream would ignore until the 90’s. Think of the overall sound of some of the SST and super early Sub Pop artists.
These said allies throw in haphazard guitar , bass , drum runs and fills. Even though JerBang is rhythmically tight, it has that freedom of looseness that most evolved punk rock has. The vocals fit in the spectrum of disenchanted, slightly tortured, forlorn. Enough angst to over power being forlorn. Reminded me a little of grunge like vocals. Grunge before it was exploited and the actual title grunge got slapped on anything guitar driven. Bass plays well with drums, again , tightness. I will be watching for their new album this Fall 2020. – Meat