*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Pennsylvania!
There is a secret underground crime syndicate called RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER. Though the word “grind” is in their name, don’t make the mistake of referring to the band as grindcore. RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER is a red-blooded thrash album with roots in crossover. Founded in 2002 the band has released 3 studio albums, 1 live album and 4 split albums. Their first studio album ‘Buried in the Front Yard’ dropped in 2005 via Relapse Records. This album seen Guitarists Matt Moore and Ryan Moll with their dueling riffs. Fiery fret work and precision riffage is abundant in all 8 tracks of their studio debut. Moll showcases his solo work throughout the album and Moore let’s his talents shine in a solo on “Stealing E.T.”. Needless to say the album almost comes off as a thrashing guitar clinic. Vocalist Eli Shaika and Bassist/vocalist Shawn Riley share the microphone at times. Riley adds his own string work on the bass but together they vocally encase the bands true thrash sound with a rapid vocal delivery. The harsh undertones of his they dispel perfectly bond with the conglomeration of riffs.
The bands next album ‘Living for Death, Destroying the Rest’ released in 2009 again on Relapse Records. A funny story in relation to this album. I was wearing a RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER shirt with the album artwork from ‘Living for Death, Destroying the Rest’ on it to a show. The show was probably around 2012 give or take a year. Toxic Holocaust was headlining the show and I just happened to run into singer/guitarist Joel Grind prior to the show. He said he has been trying to get one of those shirts for years and was friends with the band and hadn’t been able to get his hands on one. He offered to buy it, or trade for it. However, being the hardcore fan I am that shirt still remains in my collection. One of my favorite tracks of all time is on this album “Brainwasher c. 1655” With lyrics like “Streets of the Vatican our target in mind. Our elixir will be used to sway Jesus’ kind. We’ll take down the Christians in the center of their heart. Pull out all their roots and make them come apart.” How could you really go wrong? Came back into the scene just at the right time rejuvenating not only their genre but the whole underground scene. In regards to why the band formed and began their criminal thrashing attacks on music vocalist Eli Shaika comments: “Today’s metal is filled with the false and boring. No one wants to hear the same old same old. Dudes started dressing like girls, and playing like dorks. Metal needed to become dangerous again, and with their superior diabolical burglar metal, RsG brings an edge back into the metal world not known since the days of burning churches and eating brains!”
‘Ghostmaker’ is the bands most recent release as of now which hit stores in 2012 via Candlelight Records. This album is still dominant with their iconic thrash sound but takes a slightly more harsh approach than the previous albums and taking on more of a speed metal style. While guitar work was the top shelf item on the band’s debut this record truly showcases the stellar drumming abilities of skin slayer Pat Battaglia. Listen to the title track of the album and you will certainly be wondering how any one man can hammer down on the drum kit at such an inconceivable pace. The band went silent for a while. Soon after opening a show for Skinless in 2015 the band went mute on social media. It wasn’t until February that the band once again started posting and actually played a show in Fleetwood, PA at Sluggernaut’s CD Release Party. Not only was the band back and on stage but in their full form as a 5 piece. (Footage from this show is streaming below) We certainly hope they are back for keeps and that a new album is in the works. RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER refers to their fans as the Orange and Black Attack and they induct members into that syndicate very often. They claim new members are recruited at every show, and every person that buys a CD, or more importantly, buys a shirt, will be seen by the world as a proud member of the Orange and Black Attack. Are you a member of the Orange and Black Attack? I am and you should be too.
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