Murder (sword)
Self-titled
Easthampton-based Murder (sword) has been a band that I’ve been seeing a lot on social media and show flyers the past year or so. It seems that every time there is a show, I’m unable to attend. However, I have a feeling I will find them to be an instant favorite. They are a local supergroup featuring members of Oxen (one of my favorites), Crowrider, Goblet and Planetoid.
The band consists of Hans Dalhaus on drums, Dino Bambino on guitar, Eric Racicot and Rusty Daniels, both on bass … yes, two bassists, and they all lend their voices to the vocals. Each brings a different musical style to the table that makes the band sound very unique.
“Our early days, when we were still finding ourselves and letting things happen very organically, created a songwriting process that continues to this day,” Bambino described. “When we formed, we saw immense potential in each other, and with the whole of the band itself. That said, we were not sure if we wanted to have another member join as full-time vocalist or not.”
On first listen, I couldn’t tell if it was one vocalist or several, but I dug the Mike Patton-ish feel of the all-over-the-place vocal ranges. When the band clarified that they all vocalized on the album, I listened in a different way and gained more respect for the outcome.
Each member of the band is their own lyricist and composer, so there were many songs that already had lyrics attached to them. When they started the recording process, they realized that they had enough vocal talent among the four of them already. They each take turns writing, composing and vocalizing throughout all their songs.
“It is a complete crapshoot who the next song will be written by, sung by, and lyrics furnished by,” Bambino said. “It’s a true democratic process, if your version of democracy is defined by Dino pouting and giving everyone the silent treatment until she gets his way.”
I mean, I think it works perfectly fine.
The single off the EP, “Ladies of Nagasaki,” is a gut punch with energy. It derived from a riff Daniels discovered after waking up from a night of too many gummies and grabbing his bass. Bambino came up with the lyrics, “inspired by all the zero times he had been to Japan, and all the thousands of times he woke up in opium dens feeling like Truman dropped a couple big ones on his skull, psyche, and central nervous system, and couldn’t tell if he was in Hiroshima 1945 or Thompsonville, Connecticut, for the Great Ecstasy Revival of 1999,” the band described. Definitely a trip of a song, and the comical side of the band’s description makes the song that much more enticing.
“I’m Your Beast” is fun; it has some atmospheric sounds going on. Daniels wrote the music for this one, while Dalhaus wrote the lyrics. They all lent their vocals for this track. “Bad Hand” has that classic progressive-metal flow; the chorus is melodic and catchy. Bambino wrote the music behind this track, while Dalhaus wrote and vocalized the lyrics.
They have that progressive-metal, grungy-yet-groove feel.
Listen to this EP loud, by the way.
“Sinister Lizardry” is amazing, I love how it gradually speeds up the pace of the layered instruments all in sync after the first “When you fuck around, you find out // Sinister // Sinister // Lizardry” lyrics. Masterful and super-intense song with the backing screaming vocals ringing in my earbuds. Then this crazy guitar solo jumps in at around the 4:00 mark and rides it out until the end of the track, and it’s like, “Whoa, dudes.” Racicot wrote all the music and the outro lyrics, while Bambino wrote the lyrics for verse/chorus/bridge, and Daniels sings throughout.
I dig the opening bass notes on “You’d Prefer Atomic Clouds” then how the rest of the instruments just come in as a clusterfuck, but in a good way. The vocals are creepy and dark, and has a doom vibe with this song. Bambino wrote the music and lyrics for this one.
“We played with the vocals amongst all four of us until it sounded right. Then we forgot how we got it right and played with it all over again, until it sounded right once more,” the band explained about the song. “Then we forgot how we did that and re-recorded it so we could figure out how we got it right the first few times until we got it right again. This happened every Sunday and Tuesday for most of 2024. I wish I was kidding about that.”
This EP is available on Spotify. You can check them out live along with Goblet, Crowrider, Frostbite AD and more at the next Easthampton Porchfest on Oct. 3. For more information, visit easthamptonporchfest.com.
Joshua David Thayer
Warmonger
The latest release from Medford-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Joshua David Thayer is a three-song EP with a bit of a power trip stance.
“Three songs voiced from positions of power — different territory for me, but it felt necessary,” Thayer explained in a press release.
While contemplating his next release, Thayer was sorting through some demos he had shelved but kept getting distracted. He would pick up his guitar with fresh ideas coming through that had initiated his songwriting, leaving the already-existing demos behind.
“Honestly, I didn’t sit down intending to write about these things or from these character perspectives,” Thayer explained. “I generally work by picking up an instrument, playing around a little, seeing what feels inspiring, and then following it — listening to what I’ve made and figuring out what it wants next. So I was genuinely surprised when these songs started being voiced this way.”
So many crazy things are happening in current events that it’s hard for anyone to tune them out, even if they’re being perceived subliminally. Thayer drew from examples of people focusing on business and the greed behind it, leading to the “little men” suffering in the end. Thayer did his best to capture the true evil villains of the world in these songs, letting them speak through his music.
“It’s a classic story that goes back much further than this moment,” THAYER SAID. “And I think a lot of what I’ve been feeling and observing in various ways ended up getting filtered into these somewhat representative archetypes.”
When writing the lyrics and performing the songs, Thayer didn’t feel at all comfortable because none of the perspectives of these characters were in the same mindset as him. They are the complete opposite of what Thayer’s beliefs are.
“So I had a lot of anxiety and self-doubt while working the songs up. There were moments where I thought about scrapping the voices and starting over with new lyrics and melodies on top of the music,” he said.
But in the end, he realized that would be exactly what these types of people would want: for him to not be able to convey their secrets behind their masks. “Abandoning the songs would have been letting the characters win. So finishing them became a form of protest, in a way,” he said.
It’s funny how this collection of songs is about three different versions of corrupt, disgusting power, yet the songwriting and production Thayer expresses are also a version of his own power against them.
“Warmonger,” the title track, doesn’t waste any time. It jumps right into its energetic indie rock. The very smooth, wailing guitar and Thayer’s delicate vocals blend very well with the hatred and absurdity of the lyrics: “When will this end? // Just when the ground has been covered up deep with their death // Just when the glory of killing’s embraced by all who are left // This will end when we’ve all met our ends.” The premise behind this song is an evil man insisting a horrible situation will only end when he says it will end.
“That’s The Way I Roll” is a jam! By far my favorite of the three tracks. Almost instantly, I’m pulled into its smooth groove about a cocky, chronic liar whom no one dares to name as a villain. “Who’s to say what’s right // With lies so thick I can twist them // That’s the way I roll // That’s the way I roll.”
“Stay Small” is a controlling voice from the top of some evil corporation that continues to instruct people below him to stay quiet. It’s such a pretty-sounding song with vile lyrics: “Stay quiet // So we can make you quieter // No one needs to hear what’s on your mind // Just keep your useless thoughts inside.”
Thayer, as part of Brave Tiger Records, built his own streaming platform, ScratchStream, to support this release along with some archival materials. As a designer, I love the way it looks and is laid out. He wanted a way to distribute his music in a different way than just the corporate platforms he’s used in the past. Fitting for this release if you ask me!
Jennifer Levesque writes Mixtape, covering local — and sometimes beyond — musical releases. To request a review, please reach her at jlevesque@valleyadvocate.com.