doctorshopper
in focus

doctorshopper are a musical collective hailing from the south bay area of Los Angeles. Formed in late 2010 they comprise of individuals with a story to tell and an abrasive way of telling it. They don’t want you to like them, but you need to listen to them. doctorshopper’s main thrust is truth. The truth about the world we live in, the truth about what we’ve done to it and ultimately, the truth about ourselves. This is an intensely personal project and as a listener you’re invited into their world. As terrifying as this may seem, it’s necessary. It’s punishing. It’s vitriolic.

“pax pharma” tape cover:

The band self released a demo on tape earlier this year, “pax pharma” and are currently in the midst of recording a full length cassette entitled “degenerate utopia.” Check out their blog for insights into the bands thoughts behind the upcoming release and for regular narcotic based updates. Because yes, this a band influenced by drugs. Not necessarily by addiction, but by a genuine need for substances. And when I said that this project was personal, I certainly meant it. This group is honest about its struggles with life and the intricacies faced by having issues and problems outside of what society deems acceptable. Whether those challenges are physical or mental, they have an impact on the people involved and the music they write.

“pax pharma” features four tracks cut from lines of punk, black metal and all out noise – amalgamated in its pure form of complete and utter disdain and contempt. The live ritual is an important part of the bands make-up; the show which you can witness here is a total catharsis – emotion and destruction expelled through voice and instrument. As well as these blisteringly dynamic live sets, the band place a great significance on the chosen artworks for their releases. Collaborating with Baltimore’s Veronika Volkov on the cover for “pax pharma” and the tour edition of the tape “pax pharma – parched earth excursion 2011,” Veronika will also be working on the cover for the upcoming full length. This really is a collective in the best sense of the term, all aspects coming together to seal the mission of the band.

Having had the opportunity to glean some information from the band themselves, it’s safe to say that this project might have similarities with black metal but is an altogether different beast. Not wanting to stick to traditional black metal sounds the band say they “…simply wanted to do a black metal tinged band that didn’t worship nostalgia, using conventional imagery and lyrical content (eco-centered, far left/far right politics, horror based, mythological etc).” And that’s what make this group that little bit more interesting. Whilst the aesthetic is there and in other projects some of the members are involved in, doctorshopper is a creature unto itself.

Literature, philosophy and art play a massive role; influences cited are “…Solzhenitsyn, Foucault, Pushkin, Kasimir Malevich and Umberto Eco,” and many more on the aforementioned tumblr page. You’ll find a depth to the tracks you hear on “pax pharma” (explained to me as meaning ‘pharmaceutical peace’) not found in other such acts. This level of pure honesty is hard to find in today’s world. People are scared to say what they truly mean or feel out of fear. But it’s not weak to show your misgivings if you’re not entirely sure about what’s happening to your mind and body.

“Nothing ever seems to feel forced in this band, and I think the level of fearless introspection and honesty with which we write the songs is what makes this project worth doing. It’s cathartic and took some of us out of our comfort zones.”

Sometimes, music is the best therapy. And if hard and piercingly astute music is your thing, then doctorshopper are for you. “pax pharma” is a fifteen minute trip into the unknown. Utilising sludgey riffs, screams and a total maelstrom of extreme responses to extreme pressures.

Courtesy of SF Sludge:

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