By MaryAnn Bayer

I have been in a constant state of fright since The Body came into my life.  Nothing that Count Grishnackh or Fenriz have produced has me more affected than the sound coming from Chip and Lee, just  a couple of guys from Providence via Arkansas. The Body are a two piece at their core, Chip on Guitar and vocals and Lee on drums and samples, with help from a small legion artists contributing everything from “vocal incantations” to sousaphone  these fellows have created the sound of end times.

From the opening chorus of what I only imagine are angels sensing their own slaughter, I was nailed to the floor, riveted and yes, scared.  Doom does not adequately describe The Body. Doom indicates the death or end of something, The Body make you believe that nothing was ever really alive.

The seven songs, nay, curses on “all the waters of the earth turn to blood” released by At A Loss Recordings are crushing, hypnotic,  and dread inducing with vocals that make me the think of the final thirst-destroyed, admonition one pains to scream at their enemy in battle (from the inside of a tornado).  The album was recorded at Machines with Magnets a R.I. arts/recording space, further proof that Rhode Island takes it’s noisemaking seriously.  The photography and layout of  “All the waters …”  perfectly set the tone for the music inside.  The Body are presented to us, heads obscured by some demented primitive headdress, heavily armed and cloaked, against a lifeless landscape.  The inner photo is of hands, offering armament for the upcoming ruin.  Lyrics are included, and I get the feeling that if you read them out loud in front of a mirror, you will totally reap punishment.

This is what evil sounds like.  This evokes something nameless and grim.  Corpse paint and cow’s blood simply cannot create a nightmare like The Body.   Thanks for the bad dreams…

Not a video, but my favorite off the album

And another

Here is a live clip, hang in there through the darkness at the beginning.