Weird before his time, insane before his time, full of dirge before his time, Nick Blinko, the creator Rudimentary Peni, did everything before his time. The record Death Church, released in 1983, was ground-breaking & pushed the limits of anarcho punk. Rudimentary Peni composed an album that was a perfect mix of punk angst with the right balance of death rock ghost vibe. The lyrics went places that other bands were not going at the time, with song titles like Flesh Crucifix, Blasphemy Squad & Vampire State Building. Mind you this band came out of the Crass camp, not from the Batcave. I was 14 when this record came out, & I thought it was super awesome at the time – I was like damn, now Christian Death has an English brother. Rudimentary Peni were unifiers; they brought together the peace punks, the hardcore kids, the positive punks & the death rockers. Everyone said fuck the labels, we all dig this band. The sound of Death Church has this metallic layer that lurks in every song. With all their albums, Rudimentary Peni had the power to create songs that sound ugly, but that transport the listener to a beautiful dark cave. Plus, they have songs that are groovy as fuck – some of the basslines are just sublime. The dirge vibe is supreme on this album, & to this very day I can’t find a record that sounds anything like it. Death Church was actually a life lesson for me when I was young, and told me it’s OK to be different. That idea still plays in my thoughts to this day.
Rudimentary Peni: Love Is Not
Rudimentary Peni: Dutchmen
Rudimentary Peni: The Cloud Song
Derek
April 28, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Ok I definitely need to go listen to some RP now.