Roskopp - s/t

I decided before I made this blog that every month would produce at least 10 posts, whether they be provided solely by me or with help from whoever else wants to contribute. I guess you could consider it an attempt at self-discipline or establishment of a "creative schedule". Either way, there's only like 2 days left before the month ends and only 8 posts to show for it. On with the forced review, then:

I've mentioned it a jillion times already, but I used to be a huge grind buff. Like, it was pretty close to the only thing I listened to for 2 straight years. Thinking back, I find it curious that I didn't suffer a serious head trauma beforehand, because I can hardly imagine sitting through that stuff everyday, constantly, for over 700 days without switching it up with something less corrosive. Well, I guess I had some Tegan & Sara in there somewhere... of all possible non-corrosive musical units. Regardless, almost everything I liked back then still sounds great when I'm in the mood for it, especially the bands plucked from the Aussie and Czech scenes. Roskopp is a member of the former collective, and were one of the bands I was most excited about amidst my aforementioned obsessive period. Unfortunately, like most grind bands from down under, they take a long fucking time between releases. Examples: Captain Cleanoff releases their s/t EP in 2001 - follow it up with a full length 7 1/2 years later. Fuck...I'm Dead releases Bring On The Dead in 2001, then a split with Engorged in 2002; plan to release new full length in 2007; never release anything again but are still touring. Vaginal Carnage release demo in 2001 and EP in 2002; vocalist dies; still waiting on new album.

Okay that last one doesn't count.

Anyway, Roskopp are a three piece who formed in 2004 as Bonehead before swapping monikers and recording a demo a couple years later. The dude who runs Crucificado Pelo Sistema Records apparently liked the material too much to allow them to drop it as a poorly circulated cassette, so it was released as a 7" EP in 2006 (that you can still pick up here on nifty "splatter" vinyl: http://www.vinyljunkiedistro.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=21_39&products_id=8542). Roskopp aren't exactly reinventing the wheel with their brand of high-paced grind, but just like their regional brethren, they've somehow found a way to take a well-worn formula and make it not only fresh and exciting, but catchy as shit without sacrificing aggression. These guys sort of sit on the fence between grindcore and goregrind, with the high speed takes appropriating the former and the moments of groove and the pitch-shifted gurgles finding more in common with the latter. These songs actually have hooks and hold their own as songs instead of mere bursts of unmemorable aggression. Here's a pretty high quality live video of an as-of-yet unreleased song:

Here's the EP with a handful of bonus tracks I harvested from by the goodness of my heart.

gimme a few hours to find my external hard drive!

If you dig these guys, definitely check out Captain Cleanoff, Fuck...I'm Dead, Agents Of Abhorrence, Die Pigeon Die, Super Fun Happy Slide (of whom I once designed a t-shirt), Doubled Over, and The Day Everything Became Nothing. All of them are pretty top notch.