FRESHLY BAKED: RADIATION BLACKBODY

Photo by: Samantha Marble

In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.

[Download]: Radiation Blackbody - "Crossed Embolism"
[Download]: Defeatist - "Terminal Existence"
[Download]: Anodyne - "Crop Circle"

by theseseans (NYC)

Moving from California to NYC without contacts or friends may seem like a challenging experience, but in 2000 Joel Stallings did just that. A decade later Joel found himself with Joshua Scott as the foundation of basement grind specialists Defeatist and with a rich history in NYC's underground. Before Defeatist the two were the rhythm section of the now defunct Anodyne, Joshua on bass and Joel on drums. Together in rhythm they have been the back-bone of some of NYC's best bands and have helped prevent the vertebrae of NYC's underground, heavy-music scene from breaking. Having conquered a country coast to coast and executed precision grind (without ever counting off!) there should be no surprise that the two have started a new band, just bass and drums. Radiation Blackbody is a little violent and experimental but is not at all challenging to enjoy.


Photo by: Justina Villanueva

"I think we started doing it because Josh has a way of spazzing out at practice, and improvising these chaotic riffs." Joel commented on the formation of Radiation Blackbody. "They didn't really sound like Defeatist riffs, so we decided to experiment with it. I think we did this just to do something that is not straight grindcore, to experiment with a different approach."

Radiation Blackbody has similarities to the duo's past, but here they are the main focus. While still a rhythm section, in Radiation Blackbody Joel and Joshua are by no means just a rhythm section. Each instrument sounds like it is being approached as a lead, the drums unravel and showcase Joshua's excellent phrasing outside of grindcore's demanding blasting regiment (although some blastbeats are still present in Radiation Blackbody, when needed). Joshua is never lazy on the bass. In Radiation Blackbody his double tracked distorted bass lines climb the fret board in such fury, that the structure and hooks of the songs become the real surprise. When asked if this band was formed for the two to express these "lead-like" styles of playing Joshua said, "I don't know if it was that conscious on our part. It was really just whatever weird riffs we wanted to play, seeing how it came together, and then trying to get some sort of structure out of it."

Their self-titled debut will be released by the band themselves in a few months. They are currently planning to release a vinyl for purchase, and will most likey, "just post the songs online too, people can download it if they don't want to buy the record." I can not emphasize enough how enjoyable this record is. It may just be bass and drums, but the spirit of adventure and challenge is very audible on Radiation Blackbody.

Joshua and Joel's other band Defeatist has two releases coming out this year: one full length entitled Sixth Extinction via Willowtip Records and a split with ASRA and Triac via Deep Six Records. We can expect more Defeatist styled grind when Joel says, "Last time, we recorded 20 songs at the same session and then we split them up between three seven inches. That eventually came out as one CD [Sharp Blades Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds]. But this is the exact same approach. We just put it out as a full length instead of splitting it up." The same approach doesn't just mean "just another grind record."

Though it can be hard to tell in grind's natural setting (poorly mic'd DIY shows), there is some depth to the music. When I relayed this sentiment to them, Joel responded, "We'll have to try to do less in the future!" Laughter ensued in the moment, but irony held the final straw. It's funny to think about Joel and Joshua ever giving less than their all.