Racebannon - 2011 Six Sik Sisters

Band : Racebannon

Album : Six Sik Sisters

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Screamo | Noise | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Thee Plea
2. Thee Apology
3. Thee Interlude
4. Thee Brother
5. Thee Truth
6. Thee Solo
7. Thee Challenge
8. Thee Desperate
9. Thee End

   
Midway between a deleted scene from River's Edge and the resurrection of Frankenstein to unleash havoc upon the villagers that put him under, the Racebannon sound is one of many disparate influences that blend seamlessly into one lethal cocktail of hatred and aggression, draped in a cerecloth of pure molten rock that is as unforgiving as it is pulse-quickening. Indie rock? No. Metal? No. Hardcore?... No. Noise core? No. Racebannon? Yes. It really is that simple. Hesh enough for any mosh pit, yet cerebral enough for the art palate, Racebannon attack with the heave and punch the endtimes dictate while still keeping things fresh and original. Love or hate, there is no ignoring the 12 guage barrage of riffs, screams, and drums.

Six Sik Sisters is apparently some kind of concept album about the black plague, which seems appropriate enough. If I had to live in the center of Republican country, I'm sure I'd spend a decent amount of my time fantasizing about mass extinction, which is the true value in heavy misanthropic bands like the 'Bannon. The brutality of their music represents a deep-seated resistance to conformity and mental decay. Their precision, jaw-dropping "Jesus Lizard from the future" vibes remind the observer that the very desires to create languid mental conditions and conformity fuel only the inverse. This album came with a hyper-bizarre remix disc, further inciting the listener to pursue pleasant escapist dementia. You've just got to respect bands where art takes priority over marketing. Both of these discs could be filed in the "least likely to chart anywhere" category, and you get the feeling that's the point -- to do something that other people aren't doing, mainly because other people are stupid.

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Racebannon - 2002 Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In

Band : Racebannon

Album : Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In

Release Year : 2002

Genre : Screamo | Noise | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. I
2. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. II
3. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. III
4. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. IV
5. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. V
6. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. VI
7. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In Pt. VII

Racebannon is an genre-defying avant hardcore punk band from Indianapolis which formed in 1996. Begun as a screamo band on Witching Hour Records, the band has constantly evolved its sound over the decade adding in elements such as noise, metal riffs and DJ scratching. Throughout it all though they have always played an aggressive, noisy and ambitious style of rock. The band has released material on dozens of record labels and were most recently signed to Secretly Canadian.The name Racebannon is taken from the bodyguard of Dr. Quest in the TV cartoon series Johnny Quest.

Here, on their second album for their label, the bandmembers' chance at hardcore history lies in their creativity, their intensity, and most of all their ability to take a concept and capture the listener's attention. Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In is actually a five-part rock opera (so to speak) about a man, Rodney, who through a deal with the Devil becomes Rhonda Delight, a world-famous singer and actress. The Devil allows Rodney to have great talent and success, but promises him that he (the Devil) will come back for Rhonda later on.

 

And so this classic "selling your soul to the devil in exchange for talent" tale is weaved as only Racebannon could spin it. Full of expletives, noise, multiple vocal takes overlapping one another, and the kitchen sink, Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In goes well beyond Racebannon's last full-length, In the Grips of the Light. The sound and concept are fuller and more consistent, and the idea of creating a rock opera (and one that actually works, too!) is something that few bands could pull off, especially in such a loud, brash manner. Michael Anderson's schizophrenic Pentecostal preacher delivery seals the deal with a passion that few bands bring to the table.

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Racebannon & Song Of Zarathustra - 2002 Near And Far Vol. 2 (Split EP)

Band : Racebannon & Song Of Zarathustra

Album : Near And Far Vol. 2 (Split EP)

Release Year : 2002

Genre : Post-Hardcore | Screamo | Noise | Experimental

Tracklist :

1 Racebannon - Waltz Of El Diablo, Part I
2 Racebannon - Satan Kickin Yr Dick In, Part IV
3 Racebannon - Waltz Of El Diablo, Part II
4 Racebannon - Satan Kickin Yr Dick In, Part V
5 Song Of Zarathustra - Establishing An Introduction, Part I
6 Song Of Zarathustra - All Cries Of Accidents, Part II
7 Song Of Zarathustra - A Plan To End All Plans, Part III

The structure I find in this structureless mess has a lot to do with the drumming, which serves as a road map for the rock-bound listener who wishes to navigate this cacophonous maze of sounds. As “Waltz of El Diablo, Part I” slides into “Satan’s Kickin’ Ya Dick In, Part IV” (no, I’m not making that title up) and the industrial machinery gives way to more familiar distorted guitars and breathily screamed vocals, hindsight finds even more patterns. The third track (an extension of track one called “Waltz of El Diablo, Part II”) is consequently even more enjoyable than the first (and in some ways, the second), achieving the same cinematic scope and instrumental wizardry as the much-talked-about Godspeed You Black Emperor!

Racebannon’s half of the split ends with the much anticipated conclusion of the “Satan’s Kickin’ Ya Dick In” diptych (Part V in case you’re keeping score), which is another more rock-influence song that combines the musical ambition of City of Caterpillar with the straight-up weirdness of Mike Patton projects like Fantomas and Mr. Bungle. While the track never achieves the effortless grace of the former or the sheer wildness of the latter, it’s still an intense and epic piece of work that fans of either band could certainly get into. Gettin’ Racebannon’s back on this split are Song of Zarathustra, a band whom I had little information about other than a hearty recommendation from a buddy with great musical taste. Though the three tracks here are, in general, about 75% shorter than Racebannon’s they still have an epic feel; Song of Zarathustra’s tunes are equal parts Sonic Youth and Pg. 99 (or whatever ambitious screamo group you wish to substitute), so this is hardly unexpected even though SOZ are in no danger of tipping the track-length scales.

Like both of the aforementioned bands, Song of Zarathustra’s music careens wildly between soft and heavy, technical math-rock jams and three-chord anthems, mellow finger picking and punishing riffs. However, running throughout all of these parts are an almost counter-intuitive catchiness; though SOZ are in no danger of getting picked up my commercial radio anytime soon their stuff will still be stuck in your head when the disc spins down. While the two sides of this split record don’t really hang together as well as classic splits like Faith/Void or Leatherface/Hot Water Music, as a collection of tunes Near and Far Vol. 2 is phenomenal. So if you’re into hardcore bands like Neurosis or Converge who have an epic sweep pick this up, and maybe when you blast it out of your dorm room the quiet goth dude across the hall will want to be your friend.

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