Rotten Sound, Die Choking and Bandit @ Boot & Saddle.
Text and images by Tyler Horst.
The little cowboy-themed club Boot & Saddle saw an influx of denim jackets and tattooed biceps when Finnish grindcore band Rotten Sound (above) came through last Thursday night.
Rounding out the bill were Delaware “powerviolence” trio Bandit and Philadelphia’s own Die Choking.
The defiantly abrasive sounds of grindcore attract a small but loyal following, which was on display in the small venue.
Openers Bandit held nothing back in an absolutely blistering performance. Playing songs that rarely broke the two or even one minute mark, the band played with an intensity to match the music. Jumping off stage and running through the crowd, punching the walls (and each other), and finishing the set by tackling each other to the floor—yeah, these kids don’t mess around.
Fresh off the release of their latest LP III, South Philly grindcore act Die Choking upped the intensity.
“Welcome to your nightmare,” said vocalist and bassist Paul Herzog in a faux Crypt Keeper voice
The band played fast. Really fast. The aggressive pace mixed with the technicality of guitarist Jeffrey Daniels riffs made for a great performance. It was difficult to keep eyes off of drummer Joshua Cohen, who beat the absolute hell out of his kit at impossible speeds.
Rotten Sound slowed things down, relatively speaking. The Finnish band mixed the claustrophobic noise of grindcore with more sluggish, pounding doom metal riffs. Their wall of sound filled the tiny room in the back of Boot & Saddle as concertgoers began to mosh.
“We have five minutes and maybe five more songs,” joked vocalist Keijo Niinimaa toward the end of the band’s set.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 
Comments are closed.