(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): CHARIOT, THE

Wednesday 3 December 2014

CHARIOT, THE

Band: THE CHARIOT

Genres: Punk / Metal / Hardcore / Thrash
Related artists: Norma Jean, Flattery Leads To Ruin, Queen's Club and '68.
Country: Atlanta, Georgia USA
Years Active: 2004-2013
Song: "Daggers"
Album: "Wars and Rumors of Wars"
Year: 2009
Label(s): Solid State / Good Fight Music / Entertainment One / Season of Mist / Trendkill Recordings
This post's artist is from the November 2014 Mix. This is track #12.
You can download the October Mix#11 right here or get the new November Mix#12 here.
For fans of: Botch, Norma Jean, Crrust, Warsaw Was Raw, The Minor Times, Llynch, Officer Jones And His Patrol Car Problems, Back When, The Killing Tree, Canyons and Every Time I Die.

Chances are you already know THE CHARIOT. Why? Josh Fuckin' Scogin, that's why. After the original vocalist of Norma Jean passed on his previous outfit and started THE CHARIOT people have been talking. Pretty much everything I read on the internet states two things:
1) amazing live show
2) quintessential math-metal/hardcore band

I concur although I never had the gracious opportunity of seeing them live, although my buddy Bryan saw a few minutes of one of their sets and told me the concert was cancelled after Josh reverse fire-poled the primary tent support in which they were playing. Sounds pretty goddamn (ha!) intense. The fact that they were/are/whatever religious is besides the point, but had I seen them live and was fed a bunch of irrational, nonsensical christian horseshit I may be taking a different stand right now, even though I'm sitting.

I will discuss my favourite tracks from each record, because I don't feel the need to take up a few hours writing about a band that most readers are aware of.

"The Company, The Comfort, The Grave" from the band's debut LP 'Everything is Alive, Everything is Breathing, Nothing is Dead and Nothing is Bleeding' hits the sound closest to what the band perfects with later recordings. I first heard this album before the others were recorded so it worked out well that my favourite track was the one they may have used as a template on their future endeavors. Very Norma Jean in structure and sound, the band employs their obvious feedback squeal during this song's breakdown at the end. Marvelous, but the worst of the tracks I'm posting about!

From the band's first EP 'Unsung' my choice track is "Phil Cosby (Before There Was Atlanta, There Was Douglasville)" show the progress and is a perfect transitional song from the first to second full lengths. The track busts out some really heavy stuff but layers it all with some more melodic riffing and, of course, some insane breakdowns and screaming by one of the greatest aggressive vocalists I've ever heard. This is a re-recording of a song from the debut album but it hits home a lot harder on this EP, for me at least.

'The Fiancée' was the band's sophomore LP effort where they started kicking ass for more than half of the record. Don't get me wrong, I like the previous efforts but from here on out shit gets really, really good. The second half of "The Deaf Policeman" is absolutely pulverizing, and the lyrics are pretty sweet to boot, "Cuz if there's blood on the rose then there's blood on the branches." especially when tied to the final 8 seconds. At 2:43 there's a lot of song on here and I could easily listen to this on repeat.

And then, the band did something insane. They made a video for "Daggers" from 'Wars and Rumors of Wars' which is definitely one of the better songs on the album, but paired with the animated battle scene, the band as giants being attacked by the military as shitty little stick drawings, this song/video combo is so good it hurts. There's the part where they pour oil on the members. There's the part where he pukes on the soldiers. There's the part where he shoots red lasers out of his eyes. There's the part where they drag Josh's head through the streets...it's an amazing video that really defined the band along with an exceptional album, which is probably their best.

'Long Live' is probably the fastest and angriest I've heard the band, besides the previous record perhaps. Large amounts of feedback and pummeling sludgy, metallic hardcore soak through this album. "The City" is a prime example, as it doesn't let down even for a breakdown, although it does tie in a slower and epic lighter instrumental section at the halfway point of the song that carries it through to the end and even adds in some clean vocals that lock this song up as the strongest on the album.

The band's final album, 'One Wing' is a strange beast but yields some powerful tracks nonetheless. The standout for me is the hardcore turned spaghetti western "First", but "Forget" and "And" are also fantastic songs that encapsulate more of the sound they had with the two previous full lengths.

There you have it. THE CHARIOT were awesome and extremely influential. Now go watch the "Daggers" video already!

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DISCOGRAPHY
Click )==>here<==( to download Dave's opinion of the band's best songs from their discography in mp3/wmaform.

2004 - Everything is Alive, Everything is Breathing, Nothing is Dead and Nothing is Bleeding cdLP (enhanced)

2005 - Unsung cdEP (enhanced)
2005 - Ladies and Gentlemen DVD

2007 - The Fiancée cdLP
2007 - One More Song DVD

2009 - Wars and Rumors of Wars cdLP

2010 - Long Live cd/12"LP

2011 - Music of a Grateful Heart 7"EP

2012 - One Wing cd/12"LP

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(2009) THE CHARIOT - "Daggers" (from 'Wars and Rumors of Wars') official music video