Like Rats - Self-Titled
 |
Have you ever wondered what Celtic Frost would sound like as a hardcore punk band? Me neither. The idea of replacing Tom G. Warrior’s beanie with a cadet cap is ludicrous. But Chicago’s Like Rats have gone ahead and done it — and the results are tasty.
Guitarist Todd Nief, who is Weekend Nachos’ merch guy (Like Rats and Weekend Nachos share a member), runs the Primitive Future blog. In this post, he explains what he intended with Like Rats:
I love Tom G. Warrior’s signature riff composition style, and I tried to write riffs that evoke similar feelings without actually copying his techniques. There are a few self-imposed stylistic restrictions in order to keep the overall aesthetic within certain boundaries: no palm-muting, no double bass drum.
Interesting parameters, for sure. I wouldn’t have noticed them had Nief not mentioned them. The integration of Celtic Frost into a hardcore punk context is so seamless that the genre’s clichés fall away. The raspy vocals are a perfect midpoint between hardcore and black metal. This isn’t the hardcore punk of breakdowns and karate dances; it has more of an anything-goes ’80s vibe. I am totally feeling this. You can do so, too — download this demo for free here.
