Metal Minute
Thursday, January 22, 2009
CD Review:
Spylacopa - s/t EP
2008 Rising Pulse Records
Ray Van Horn, Jr.
Intellects attract other intellects, particularly in music. It's sometimes hard to fathom a merge between Thom Yorke, Beck and PJ Harvey despite the sheer thrill factor of such a proposition. However, if you're really in-tune with what's happening in today's metal underground, reading a roster of momentarily extradited artists such as Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan, Jeff Caxide of Isis, Julie Christmas of Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice, plus Candiria's John LaMacchia, proves more than relevant.
Granted, there's a teeming number of side projects cropping up every month (the Isis guys alone have so many external groups and solo pieces it's easy to lose count), yet it's hard to ignore the chance to hear Greg Puciato and Julie Christmas rail and croon amidst a slinky, drop-tuned metallic groove on Spylacopa's "Bloodletting" from their self-titled debut EP. The payoff between these two yelping vocalists is its own reward, much less the pounding rhythms and furiously tugging guitars on "Bloodletting" and its preceding track "Haunting a Ghost." For more check out Metal Minute

Lateral Noise and Sea of Tranquility
January 12, 2009
Artist: Spylacopa
Album: Spylacopa
Label: Rising Pulse Records
Year: 2008

Tracklist:
01. Haunting A Ghost
02. Bloodletting
03. Together We Become Forever
04. Staring at the Sound
05. I Should Have Known You Would
Download pass: lateralnoise.blogspot.com
What do you get when you combine one part The Dillinger Escape Plan (Greg Puciato), one part Candiria (John LaMacchia), one part Isis (Jeff Caxide) and one part Made Out of Babies/Battle of Mice (Julie Christmas)? Well, you have the supergroup project called Spylacopa, who are now releasing their self-titled debut EP on Rising Pulse Records. Not quite metal, not quite post-rock, but certainly something along the lines of avant-garde flavored rock, Spylacopia certainly mix it up here on this 5-song EP. Puciato's tortured screams and wailings work well alongside the gentle vocals of Christmas on the manic opener "Haunting A Ghost", LaMacchia's textured guitar work providing plenty of the fireworks for this otherwise varied opening cut. More of the same can be heard on the raucous "Bloodletting", giving way to melodic piano on the gentle "Together We Become Forever". They come back with raging yet funky extreme metal on "Staring At the Sound", a ripping number with crunch riffs, pounding drum work, and lots of effective vocals from Puciato, in what is no doubt the song that shows the most promise for this ensemble on this EP. The closer "I Should Have Known You Would" takes an almost Pink Floyd meets Isis approach to atmospheric & ambient rock, dreamy vocals meshing with Dave Gilmour inspired guitar work and plenty of dark overtones.
As strong as this is, it just seems like the tip of the iceberg. We obviously know of the pedigree of these folks, so now that we have a taste of what they can do, let's hope next time around they can give us a full blast of the potential that's shown here.-by Pete Pardo
Lateral Noise and Sea of TRanquility