Scalp The Pioneer – “Demo”
Scalp The Pioneer is a band I’m unfamiliar with except for a three song demo I recently listened to, that was released last April. It’s hard to write about something or someone you don’t know much about. But that’s never seemed to hold me back before.
But I do know that their name makes me think of Native Americans and how I read they acknowledged five gender types! They are: female, male, two spirit male, two spirit female and transgender. “Two spirit” means a combination of both male and female and not only were they accepted but they were thought of more highly. (The transgender, of course, were not allowed to use the same bathrooms.) Sorry, they were respected as well- how different from our current times!
I believe most of history has been formed by might over right but that those days will be changing soon.
I bring this up because this band plays Native American music except they combine it with East Indian music using the sitar and the tabla and other East Indian instruments and combine this with Irish street punk, as well.
(Editors note: This is not true. Slimedog has been scolded, sent to bed without supper and Jagermeister and has promised to proceed in a more, truthful way.)
Okay, so really they’re a Boston hardcore/punk band but with tags like sludge, grindcore and power violence which makes the musical activity more wild, more abrasive and what lures me in. And once I’ve taken the bite, I’m hooked.
But you don’t need any further prattle from me. Just put the needle on the record, get your dance shoes on and let’s give this record a spin:
After three snare hits, “Scalp The Pioneer” blows up in your face like sticks of dynamite attached and lit by your ears. Blasting guitars and screaming, emotive vocals flail about as the rhythm barges strongly on. Then the tempo moves to a barren, ominous landscape with the hysterical vocals ripping in. Sounds kind of like someone having a nervous breakdown in the middle of a string section. Very original song that has drastic extremes- very strange song that is extremely good.
With an industrial sounding stop and stutter beginning, “Ringworm,” along with the screaming vocals, accelerate and shortly speed up into a galloping, rockin’ beat with an intriguing, minor key melody. But soon were thrust back onto the gloomy, headbanging bleak mood with the vocals bleating, bloodily behind them. Another song that mixes so many styles and moods it’s hard to keep track of- but what is achieved is another great, unique tune.
“Fuck Yankee Doodle And The Horse He Rode In On,” (I believe Maroon Five has a song by the same name)- starts out with a heavy, headbangin’ groove that wouldn’t be out of place on a Led Zeppelin record. But soon there’s a blitz of guitars coaxing the vocals into hardcore land. Then soon again we’re back into a heavy, plodding beat with sludgy, guitars slowly, slowing down like a machine being shut off- leading to a grand finish of a very impressive first EP.
I’ve listened to Scalp The Pioneer and I still feel I don’t know what I’m writing about.
But that’s okay with me- because I can still really like something even if I don’t really understand it, but it doesn’t matter- as long as you can relate and enjoy, than it’s all good! And I hope you like it as much as I do.
Only three songs long but long enough for me to realize, this is very, powerful music full of passion, guts and truth. And though I wouldn’t describe them as “punk” they are made of the same ingredients, the same substance, the same recipe for punk.
For me, this is highly original stuff, without being too oblique to understand it. For me, this is music that takes elements of metal, grindcore and doom and mixes it well with elements of punk and hardcore. Sprinkles some sludge and power violence amongst the proceedings and let’s it roll. Let the chips fall where they may. In modern times the modern way. (Editors note: Roxy Music lyrics, it has no relevance to the article.)
I’ll take a gamble and say this band has something even more awesome up their sleeve in the future. They proved to me they have it in them, they just need some time to produce it.
I’ll be listening. I’ll bet I’ll lose my head over it.
(Slimedog)
