Text & Photos by Darryl Reid
Tempe, Arizona’s Marshstepper rolled through town a couple weeks ago to assault our senses in a dark basement.
Consisting of equal parts noise/drone, black metal and electronic music filtered through a black mass: if Satan had a teen dance party in hell, it would sound like something like Marshstepper. I won’t spoil anything in the off chance you might have the pleasure of experiencing this band live; but basically the set consists of two members who man a vast array of boards, loopers and mics as instruments while a third member plays out a strange ritual on the floor for the audience. Employing theatre and music is nothing new to metal/punk music, but this band expertly convey an almost oppressive sense of dread and mystery.
Some people after the show were blown away by it, others didn’t really buy into it and some were just asking “what the fuck??” over and over. It’s been mentioned before by others but it needs restating that Marshstepper’s greatest strength and their greatest weakness lay in the fact that the music and the visuals are inextricably tied to each other, thus one without the other seems to to lack a certain character.
Suffice to say, check these guys out – if you have the chance I can’t recommend it enough, just keep an open mind.
bugsbunny
August 6, 2013 at 11:38 pm
this shit looks awesome I have to see them.