There has been a huge influx of “thrash” this year, definitely not a bad thing, but in this stinky dude pool of flannel, painter’s hats, and all around Axl-flare topped with songs about nachos, high fives, burritos, grinding decks, touching tips, etc., things get a little redundant. On the other side of the genre, bands like Midnight, Ghoul, and Toxic Holocaust are keeping old-school thrash alive and well. Then there is Oozing Wound…members Kyle (drums), Zack (guitar, yelling), and Kevin (bass) have played in such past bands as Zath, Cacaw, Unmanned Ship, and Bad Drugs, so when hearing that these guys were going to be playing some thrash metal, I knew whatever they did with the genre would be new and exciting.
On their second full length Earth Suck, we find the skeleton of a thrash record, but what’s stuck to it’s bones isn’t the usual meats–especially with Kyle’s style of drumming, which is essentially an octopus playing drums with police batons. The majority of the record is hard and driving. The songs pick up momentum and speed and often crash into a frenzy of heavy-as-fuck, headbangable breakdowns; “False Peak” is a prime example of that and my favorite track on the Earth Suck. Some of the tracks tend to get sludgier than your typical thrash song, but maintain the drive and urgency of the genre. Definitely an album to smoke all your step dad’s swag stash to while smashing mailboxes out a passenger side window.
I’m not sure if it was me completely losing my mind because of the loud-mouthed, real-life-Portlandia-sketch yuppie next to me yelling about his private realtor and their mutual love of red wine (which is totally coincidental, because my quinoa-colonic dream-healer and I share a similar love for huffing warm cat litter), but I found myself involuntarily headbanging while listening to Earth Suck, which is a total success for Oozing Wound or any band that can affect someone on a subconscious level. Because of their mind controlling capabilities, I am all for Oozing Wound Shanghai’ing the brains of America, making everyone grow out their hair and smoking their brains into the nethervoids while headbanging perpetually.
Rating: 5 out of 6 Doves Prince’s Minnetonka Tea Time was interrupted when he overheard this record and thought for a split second that it may almost be as good as one of his own. After splashing his cup of tea into his ankle masseuse’s face, he went downstairs into his studio and wrote the best mind-melting neo-funk-jazz-fusion box set known to man.
B.G.M. – What is “Earth Suck”?
Zack – Heaviness, man. Getting pulled further into this giant magnetic sphere that’s hurtling through space like some kind of cosmic pebble, cast from the hand of a great space giant who probably eats stars and shit for sustenance. What can one band do to fight against the oppressive downward sensation of death? Not much, it turns out. Playing really repetitive and angry music has done nothing to hinder the gravity on this planet. So I guess our hypothesis was faulty that a band could stop the Earth from spinning. Actually, I don’t know. I’m making this up and I am tired. It’s also the last two minutes of the record, that’s what that feeling sounds like.
B.G.M. – What’s in the works for the future?
Zack – We put out two records in the past year, a split record in between those, and a single. I was feeling pretty accomplished about all that, but all anyone wants to know is what’s next. Jesus Christ, it’s never enough, is it? How about I just cut off my face, would that make you all happy you fucking vultures?!
Actually, we just started working on whatever the next thing is. Bunch of jams and riffs just kind of stewing in the ooze pot. We’re gonna ladle that shit out all chef like and soon enough we’re gonna have a couple new jams. We’re also going to Europe in March, so that’s pretty cool. Haven’t made too many plans beyond that.
“Call Your Guy” is the music video that DreamWorks did for you guys and it has some pretty intense special effects and some realistic colors. At the 4:45 mark, my panties totally hit the floor, was this planned?
We’ve talked and agreed we don’t know what you are talking about. “Call Your Guy” was a fun one to make, “Going Through The Motions” from the new record was also fun. The idea for “Call Your Guy” was actually one I have been pitching for years. I just wanted to recreate the video Black Sabbath did for Paranoid where there’s all the acid shit going on and it’s super groovy. Motions was more of this thing where there is this bartender who works at the Empty Bottle who looks a lot like me, his name is Matt and he plays in a band called Rabble Rabble. Anyway, if we play there and he’s working, which he always is, people go up to him and tell him how fucking great he is playing a show and working the bar. Stupid fucks! We’re not the same, he doesn’t even have a beard! My idea was to have him kidnap me in a video and pretend to be me. Day of the shoot he was actually much busier than we thought he’d be so we went with our buddy who is also named Matt but from the band Heavy Times. I think it’s probably funnier since he looks nothing like me.
How have the tours for this record been going? Any good stories? Any good bands you’ve gotten to see or play with that you would recommend?
Well, we can’t tour too often because we have jobs and shit that actually pay for the things in our lives. How about all you start buying some records or something? I’m kidding. That’s bogus, just download it, who fucking cares, amiright?!!
We just got back from our East Coast Cruisin for an Oozin tour and it was great, actually. We didn’t lose money, totally fucking killer. I know there are all these stories about bands losing money or whatever it is bands like to talk about. Here’s what I can tell you. Everyone can shut the fuck up.
I think our collective favorite band right now is Platinum Boys from Milwaukee. Let’s play the old, here’s what they sound like game. They sound like this band Black Sabbath, who I know you haven’t heard of but just follow me here. They sound like Black Sabbath meets like the Raspberries or some shit. Really they sound more like Artful Dodger, but even less people know who the fuck that is. But it’s just, it’s really dumb, really simple and unabashedly awesome. My favorite thing this year by far, and the best dudes to party with.
What have you all been listening to lately?
I ask the boys but they don’t tell me much. I know Kevin’s been rocking the Police’s second record Regatta De Blanc because I have some texts at around 5 in the morning from him exclaiming how great it is. In fact, here is exactly what he wrote to me last Thursday at 5:33am. “Another rock and super Reggatta De Blanc wasted push…worth it. For real this album holds secrets of all kinds. Be radzilla and rock this album. Reggatta De Blanc!!! you fucks! Start to finish it will tell you what to do and what not to do…way cooler than Van Halen…everything else the police did is pretty whak but get contextual, yo!”
So that’s really how we operate as a band. I’ve been jamming the new Ariel Pink record because he’s one of about 5 artists I care about making shit today. Beyond that just a bunch of 70’s shit. Buzzcocks, Billy Cobham, Bruce Haack, Harmonia, Libra, Klaus Schulze, and Gary Wilson.
Kyle, you also run Rotted Tooth Recordings which is one of my favorite record labels, anything recent/future releases? You also wear a magic pouch around your neck, what’s inside?
Kyle just put out the first Black Pus recordings called Pus Mortem. It’s fan-fucking-tastic. We ask him what’s coming up but I don’t even think he knows yet. We all spent the last year pretty focused on the Ooze and he got married and shit so there hasn’t been a lot of time to push other bands. I know he’s been working for a long time on releasing his dad’s band from the 60’s lone 45” single. It’s really really good. I think he keeps a fermented turd in that pouch based on the way he smells at practice.
Thrill Jockey is one of the only remaining trustworthy record labels from their era who continually release awesome albums, how has it been working with these guys?
Uh, pretty great! Collectively, we’ve never worked with a label that has like an office and shit and pushes records super hard. A year and three records in I would say that it’s all pretty cool. I mean, we’re doing an interview for you and that’s not really something we were ever asked to do two years ago. Thrill Jockey forever or whatever!
Would you consider calling your next record “Reign In Blunts”?
How about Fade to Bleak? Titles are hard. I really want to put out one called Nevermind or actually I have had an idea for years to recreate the cover to Bleach and call it Blech and we just sound terrible.
http://www.oozingwound.com/
Oozing Wound photos from Sarah Cass.