Right out of the gate the drums roll in like the auditory equivalent of an excitedly moving laser pointer and momentarily you’re the cat, fascinated and focused on this elaborate display, concentrating with such feverish intensity that you’d appear daft and bereft of even the most basic faculties to any onlooker. You’re primitively triggered to follow its frantic, irregular movements slack-jawed and bug-eyed but you’re having difficulty keeping up. It’s just too fast, there’s so much going on, HOW MUCH LONGER CAN YOU WITHSTAND THE CRUSHING INTENSITY OF THIS PERCUSSIVE FIRING SQUAD!?
No matter, because all of the unholy eons you’ve just experienced being pummeled by giant, demonic woodpeckers actually lasted all of about 2 seconds; the beat transforms, driving and uniform as the whole f*cking everything drops onto your head at once. Screaming guitar, horror-esque organ, and the lyrics open up like a used hearse salesmen breathing fire; “STEP RIGHT UP, TAKE A PEEK INSIDE…”
Thank you, kind sir! I believe I will!
Blöd’s newest single is also their debut release but the band has lifetimes worth of collective experience playing music you know and love. Those skull-pounding drums that just tickled your cochleae like gilded ice picks? Yeah, that’s the Mike Heller of Fear Factory, Malignancy and Raven acclaim. That bass pounding on your neighbor’s walls to destroy their sense of calm and tranquility? Alex Bergeron of renowned cult legends Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy and the Elephantmen. Dallas Sheppard (guitar), Douglas Esper (vocals), and Alex Bergeron had all previously been playing with Chuck Mosley (Faith No More, Bad Brains, Indora) as his backing band when he passed unexpectedly in 2017. Lisa Hurt (keys) joined Chuck Mosley onstage in Detroit and she also helped set the Guinness World Record for Longest Concert Marathon back in 2011. Bobby Youngblood of amazingly bizarre noise-rock group Ask An Adult weighs in with his massive vocal ability to tie it all together there you have it, the full list of ingredients that comprises this spicy, metallic horror gumbo.
With no shortage of talent and ingenuity they’ve managed to grow together despite tragedy and traverse vast social distances to thrive artistically in spite of COVID, yet in reality their long-distance musical amalgamation had begun way before the virus foisted such an estranged modus operandi upon professional musicians. “There are many musicians adapting to COVID lockdowns by forming bands online, but this wasn’t the case with us”, explains Blöd’s Douglas Esper, “We started the process back in early 2018... maybe even late 2017. I guess, technically, our home is the internet.”
Check out the full interview with Douglas Esper of Blöd here
