Dot Rats – (Demo)
So this is the Dot Rats debut. For those who might not know, their name refers to one of the rougher parts of Boston- Dorchester, and a kind of derogatory term for someone from there is Dot Rat, much like “Hood Rat.”
Well, since Andy and I grew up in Wellesley, we have no idea what this band is singing about but I promise to do my best.
Truth be told, Andy and I grew up in Hyde Park where we met working together many moons ago. Andy escaped and I did too, for awhile, but now I’m back living there and Hyde Park’s only a few miles from Dorchester. And if anyone from Hyde Park were to look down on Dorchester…you catch my drift, it’s all inner city Boston boys, not a Dot Rat but not far from being one.
Which has nothing to do with the music but a lot that has nothing to do with music has a lot to do with why the music is made, you know what I mean?
Meaning if you don’t know the inner city way of life, if you don’t know what it means to grow up as a Boston city boy or girl, then maybe you’ll have a tougher time understanding where this band is coming from.
But maybe not, ’cause from what I’ve seen the pretty little suburbs hide a lot of sordid lies. And it doesn’t matter how nice your lawn is or where you’ve lived, but what you’ve experienced and what you’ve seen. And where you’re going with it and the Dot Rats are here to explain.
“Brothers Keeper” starts out hard hitting with a slow driving beat that soon accelerates into an overdrive hardcore beat. “Oh, that’s right? This is Dorchester hardcore in your motherfuckin’ face.” The guitar and bass drops out to make sure you hear that. You certainly hear the guts and the passion in the music. Metal-ish swirling guitar, straight ahead chopping drums- “You fuck with us/We fuck with you.” The tempo changes with a Spanish bolero like rhythm that brings it down a bit. The guitars clang and the drums build intensity towards the intense crescendo of this great song.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/01 Brothers Keeper.mp3|titles=Brothers Keeper]
This one starts very mellow, with a voice-over like a commercial for a mini-series but once the doom metal guitars invite us in it’s like a lamb to the slaughterhouse where the knives are guitars and the vocals are ready to rip your entrails out. The doom-y metal beginning quickly escalates into a hardcore marathon. “Dorchester/ You better hope that you don’t get lost here.” Oh, yeah, ain’t that the truth? A squiggly metal guitar solo floats above with only the drums pounding along. Some hard New York hardcore accents erupt. You can just imagine the pit exploding during this song which is another tune about Dorchester that hits hard and true and strong.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/05 Run This Town.mp3|titles=Run This Town]
“This is Dorchester, motherfucker, recognize…We’re the baddest white boys in the city of Boston.” I guess they haven’t seen Readville. This is a grinding metal/hardcore song with a rhythm section that is strong and anchored to the earth. “We hate us/ That’s why we don’t give a fuck/ We hate us/ More than you ever fuckin’ could.” This is an intense rant that never lets up on the pressure or the passion. “You better keep your mouth shut if you know what is good.” I would but I got to say this tune is good and powerful and real.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/08 We Hate Us.mp3|titles=We Hate Us]
“Who the fuck is that? It’s the Dot Rats,” This is their theme song meaning it has the pounding intensity that you only find in metal, emphatic vocals telling about life that you find most strong in rap, and the overpowering energy that you can only get from hardcore. The whole recipe is cooked till it boils over and is served in heaping portions of fiery, passionate goodness. This song marches along like a tomahawk chopping kid in a mosh-pit and ends clean, swift and decisive just like the concept of the Dot Rats- my favorite song on the CD.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/02 DOT RATS Theme Song.mp3|titles=DOT RATS Theme Song]
So the Dot Rats are a bit in your face at times, much like life. The Dot Rats can be a bit rough and unpleasant at times, much like life. So the Dot Rats relate unpleasant thoughts about unpleasant things which is what any intelligent person comprehends of life but, this is the big step, they’re truthful in relating it.
Life isn’t nice, however you slice it; not even here in Hyde Park where Andy and I sit in our country manors playing croquet, sipping lemonade and eating raspberry croissants.
But what I find “pleasant” are bands like this that are willing to lay their guts on the line, to tell their lives and experiences and to tell it truthfully with so much passion and excitement filled up to the brim.
Hey, do you want to hear that this is rap influenced and they have two singers- great. Hey, do you want to hear that this is rap-core, heavy hardcore mixed together and they have a great rhythm section with a guitarist throwing able metal chunks of sound on top and that this is a very, promising band- well, their you have it.
But words explain so little while lives just have to be, and be observed, and they tell the whole story. So I suggest I keep my mouth shut and you can to and listen to their whole story- meaning this great CD.
(Slimedog)
