What Rock, Rolls, and melts faces all over?
No one better than the soon to be notorious Kansas City natives Snake Eater. Coming hard and fast at the rest of the 50 states from Missouri, Snake Eater is a rare find of pandemonium and precision, of chaos and control, of- dare I say it? Hardcore Rock and Roll. One can see the obvious judgments and preconceptions a band named Snake Eater may face, but with one listen anyone can see that this band does anything but fall into the traps of pseudo machismo so common in the “tough guy” hardcore scene. Their recent release Snake Eater Presents: The Rock and Roll Apocalypse is composed of pure adrenaline, the perfect album to get rowdy to.
Creative song titles such as “Planet Death” and “ Anne Franks Blind Date: Who the Fuck is Helen Keller?” much like their band moniker, are deceiving in that they don’t let you in on the well thought out and impressive music to be had. The “oh face” inducing guitar handed out in the first track “Bitch, You Knew I was a Snake” is just one example of the real talent that lies within this band. From Matt Wood’s driving bass to the intensity delivered by drummer George Schmitz (who is currently playing drums on tour with Century Media/Sumerian’s Stick to Your Guns) there is true thought and planning put into a Snake Eater song. Not to mention the guitar coming from Jon Oddo and Dan Peters is nothing short of face melting, Vocals delivered by Chris Wood are harsh but audible, something that is much appreciated in a world full of pig squeals and Grindcore screeching.
Lyrically Snake Eater offers a message without the messiah, begging for us all to “Believe in something, Believe in your fucking self” While some lyrics, like those in “Knock out Champ of the World” speak of corruption in modern day religion (“Show me the face of a dead President and I’ll show you the face of God. This is the immaculate deception”). These musicians make it clear that they aren’t here to tell anyone what to think, but to remind us all to take a moment and evaluate the things we do buy into.
Beyond the album Snake Eater is a shining example of what all local bands should be doing- from extensive self promotion on the internet to outstanding merchandise both online and at shows, they have all the makings of a signed band from their own resources. From mingling with the crowd to their eye catching performance, everything about Snake Eater exudes professionalism, and I would be shocked if 2009 didn’t bring total music domination, or at least a record deal.
Click here to hear Snake Eater on Myspace
