TOTIMOSHI
Ladron
(Crucial Blast)

SUNNO)))/BORIS
Altar
(Southern Lord)

OM
Conference of the Birds
(Holy Mountain)

DOOMRIDERS
Black Thunder
(Deathwish)

GIANT SQUID
Metridium Fields
(The End)

THE COFFIN LIDS
Round Midnight 

(Bomp)

NACHTMYSTIUM
Instinct Decay

(Battle Kommand)

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Nice one. Not sure what it is about the cheap stuff, but I get so much satisfaction from checking out bands like El Chupa Cobras, who mysteriously enough do not hail from Chiapas or any other UFO visited Mexican territory, but actually call Montgomery, AL home.  Needless to say their approach to the Spanish language is not as good (the insert is all in Spanish, albeit it has been translated literally and it makes very little sense) as the racket they manage to exude out of their instruments.  A lot of this stuff sounds like your standard hardcore, especially because of the no frills recording sound, but the guitar work is mostly laid down with the same subdued mastery of bands like Shellac and The Jesus Lizard, who by the way are only growing stronger as far as influencing hard sounding bands that mix such indie approach with metal and hardcore.

This demo kicks off things auspiciously with “Girls at the Club Seven” and follows up confidently with “Famous Last Words” where bits of noise, jagged hardcore punk and some nice guitar subtleties make quick appearances. But it is not until “Multi-Dimensional Living” where things get a bit proggy and more rhythmically friendly that El Chupa Cobras truly emerges with a kickass sound. Seriously, the song’s first minute or so is interesting and engaging, but then once the band literally opens up its sound, with a pounding beating and two different guitars working themselves in two opposite ends of the spectrum, there’s no turning back. By then vocalist/guitarist Kenny has shut his mouth which probably helps, but the result is well, pretty damn good. I predict good things for this Alabama band, drummer Chad also runs rising label Acerbic Noise Development (check out the excellent band Verse and Radiation) so I guess they’ll just skip the whole shopping the demo deal. Looking forward to hear what’s next.

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