Der Todesking - s/t 7" at 33rpm on Self-Released Records

Winter was coming, but now the bastard is here. There are too many inches of snow outside right now to get things done so I've decided to try an experiment. I wanted to write a review for my friends in Der Todesking but I couldn't decide how to do it in an unbiased way. I've also heard all of the songs on their new 7" (being released Jan. 30th!) repeatedly because the band practices in my basement. I had to figure out a way to somehow make this band, comprised of some of my best friends and whose growth I have had a lot of exposure to sound new to me. So I decided to see what it sounded like at 33rpm and not only was Der Todesking's moody nature intensified and their punk knob tweaked, but holy shit was it amazing. My first thoughts were that Flipper and Black Sabbath were Tom Waits' backing band in a shipwreck somewhere and somehow it was being transmitted through my home stereo system. As the first side finished and I flipped the record there was a brief moment of silence, but I did not let it linger too long, delving back into the murk, sinking into the doldrums and taking my place amongst the Mer-heshers now gathering on the ship's deck. As the heshers beat a seahorse to death I began to inhale water and yearned for fresh air. As the record ended, I frantically paddled to the surface. As soon as oxygen filled my lungs I realized why this band wrote their songs faster- you could drown in all that sludge. That's not to say it isn't a blast to jump into the swamp every now and again, though. Go to the Record Bar on Jan. 30th at 6PM and see Der Todesking's record release show! Get this 7" because it's awesome. Also playing are local dudes Weird Wounds and Sucked Dry who probably also sound great at the bottom of the ocean.