Fuck the internet. The best way to discover new music is still going to punk shows at dingy clubs, catching a band playing a ferocious set, buying their record, taking it home, and hoping like hell that they were able to capture that same fury in the studio. That’s the story of how I found October Bird of Death. The Chicago based hardcore quintet was in Grand Rapids for a small punk festival. I had never even heard of them, but I was immediately impressed by their angry, angular sound. I picked up their Assemble seven inch, (on purple wax), and have been listening to it steadily ever since.
The five songs that make up Assemble are a decent chunk of music. It feels like half a hardcore LP. The guitars are heavy and razor sharp, and the beats are propulsive. The vocals are talk/yelled in way that might remind you of a more hostile, less hip hop influenced Rage Against the Machine. Assemble also recalls the intensity of fellow Chicagoans Articles of Faith. The lyrics are bleak, but have a certain literary appeal. “Beckoning Beast”, “Vices”, “Outlier”, “Splintered Bones” and “Shadows Like Teeth” all seethe with a hopeless, bitter viciousness. I wouldn’t exactly call them sing along songs, but they’re all fairly catchy. There is no joy in October Bird of Death, just serious, well executed hardcore.