SINGLE SPOTLIGHT: Bandit - “Mangled Sheep”
GURKHA COMMANDO BLAST TEAM
Banditcamp / Facebook / Instagram / Spotify
This one went up a little later than usual today, but, we are spotlighting a single nonetheless! Today, that spotlighted single just so happens to be one of the wildest names in grindcore and extreme metal music, Bandit! Giving us a glimpse of their upcoming new album, Siege of Self, “Mangled Sheep” brings back the chaotic aura remembered from 2018’s Warsaw, while also giving us an abrasive groove and thrashy element that is sure to have you in the pit for all two minutes and four seconds of its duration. You may want to wait to click the play button on the video beneath this paragraph until after you’ve read this article, otherwise you are likely to drop your phone or get up from your computer and immediately start crowdkilling the immediate company surrounding you…
No one is safe from Bandit. Their sound, as long as they have been a band, has been nothing short of what literally any fan of virtually any part of the extreme music spectrum could want in a band that writes like they do. Vocalist, therapist, comedian, and general sweetheart with a wonderful personality, Gene Meyer, is an absolute monster on a microphone. Joined by guitarist Jack McBride, who is equally as wonderful a human, and drummer Gobinda, the trio gels together like a grindy work of art, presenting nonstop punishing riffs, adrenaline boosting drum work, and a vocal power that will put you straight into time-out, Bandit are a force to be reckoned with. You don’t need a lot to understand their music, as it comes in a fairly straightforward punch straight to the face; But even with as barebones as their music approach may be, it is not without its fun twists and turns and surprises here and there.
“Mangled Sheep” is a bit of an outlier from the days of Warsaw. Where the focus on Warsaw seemed to be much more fast-paced, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it style grindcore (the entire album spanning just about at 7 minutes), “Mangled Sheep” sits more along the lines of a groove-ish track. Where Warsaw was, to some respects, Bandit’s Prowler in the Yard, this track reminds me more of something from the likes of Pig Destroyer’s Phantom Limb or Terrifyer, given the thrashy sound as well as the more rhythmic focus. Nonetheless, the abrasion is still at 300%, as the fight riffs are surplussed as would be expected of the band.
Bandit are yet another example that metal music is truly in good hands. This window we are given into Siege of Self through “Mangled Sheep”, alongside “Juniata”, keeps plenty of hype as the band continues to climb in recognition and keeping the wall of noise at max volume. If you find yourself a fan of metal with visceral and honest character to it, Bandit is a mandatory addition to your playlist. Subsequently, “Mangled Sheep” demands a multitude of spins from you as well. Be sure to tell your friends!
Keep up with Bandit on all available platforms, as well as those attached at the beginning of this article. Be sure to report to the nearest room they next perform live in, so that you may also aid in completely clearing it out. As Gene Meyer would say: ‘One love, one grind; Bobsled time.’
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