Rasputina

Every now and then I go against the grain of Death Metal and Industrial Rock and I listen to something a little different. Or sometimes it is hella different all together. I try to expand my horizons every so often.

Well, I saw an article about Rasputina in Outburn Magazine about 3 years ago and didn't pay much attention to them other than the fact they had some hot chicks that looked kinda weird and dressed somewhat fucked up. Otherwise if I were to meet them in a bar I'd try to hit on them and take at least one of them home for the night. But enough thinking with my cock. That isn't the whole point of this text.

No, the whole point of this text is that I saw them again recently, but in Revolver Magazine. For those of you that don't read Revolver, drop what you're doing right now, run down to the local news stand or book store and pick up a copy! Revolver is only THE BEST metal magazine out today! Well, I decided to pick up their new album "Frustration Plantation" on a whim when I visited Hawaii back in May of last year. It's not so often I get to visit America but when I do I make the most of it, especially the music stores. Trust me folks, the music selection outside of the Continental US just sucks ass. Fat sweaty ass with zits all over it.

Frustation Plantation is different but kicks ass. It has to grow on you. I remember driving down the H-1 skipping tracks thinking to myself "These chicks suck. What the hell is going on with all these damn cellos?" A few songs were catchy at best but nothing really stood out to me. Songs like "Doomsday, Averted", "Possum of the Grotto" and "The Mayor" were okay but didn't do anything for me. I put the CD away thinking I had wasted $15 at Sam Goody. Well time went by and I got hooked listening to Opeth's Deliverance CD. The primarily acoustical album was a nice respite the Satanic riffs and finger-scalding crunches I was accustomed to hearing. I burned out on Opeth and needed something similar to listen to. Just recently I started listening to it on a whim and now I am starting to appreciate it more.

How much more?

I renewed my subscription to Audio Galaxy so I could download their songs! Now let me get this straight with everyone - I DO NOT condone in illegal file sharing. Sure the assholes at the record companies lose money but ultimately it is the band that pays the price. Lower album sales mean less support from the labels and less chance of maintaining a contract. I hate to see my favorite bands like Type O Negative and Deicide get fucked over by RoadRunner Records, but let's face it - when was the last time you've seen your favorite band sell out their concert tickets? If you're anything like me, you like music that isn't so mainstream, so support the bands you rip off when you download their shit for free. At the very least buy the album when you get the money if cash is tight.

Anycase back to the topic. As I said, I renewed my subscription with Audio Galaxy and have been listening to more of their music. "Cabin Fever" and "How we quit the Forest" are two of their best albums, and this is coming from someone that would rather fuck his girlfriend listening to Slayer, or drive down I-95 with KMFDM blasting at ear-piercing volumes than listen to anything remotely feminine or percieved gay. (No ladies I don't have a girlfriend currently but I am always looking!) "Cabin Fever" has more of an industrial feel to it, but Rasputina still have the cellos as the main instrument. And you know what, IT FUCKING ROCKS! I am listening to "How we quit the Forest" as I write this and plan on buying both CDs through Sam Goody.com on pay day. (Sam Goody has a points system you can use for future discount purchases unlike Amazon.com and they don't lose your shit either.) "Transylvanian Regurgitation" is pretty cool too but it's short and sweet. If money is tight for you, at the very least pick up "Cabin Fever" and you'll do fine.

If you already know about Rasputina, feel free to add any comments you may have about them. If I get the chance I will catch them in concert one day. The only way I can see Rasputina becoming the ultimate weird chick band is if they get a death metal guitar player, a quasi-techno industrial drum machine, and do the occasional song in German. In short, if they become KMFDM minus Raymond Watts. Or Hanzel und Gretyl.