There’s an unwritten rule you’re told from a young age but seldom expected to abide by. After all, free will is a marvellous gift and is certifiably one of the things that defines us as living organisms. Never judge a book by its cover. Perhaps a little too metaphorical for the context of this website, but it certainly taught me a lesson. A trend that seems to have emerged, especially within the indie community, is to take an average, everyday phrase and build a superb band identity around it. Fat White Family or The Neighbourhood for example, being perhaps two well-known and excellent cases for this observation. So hopefully I can be forgiven for assuming that on first glance, this could have been another to add to this trend. I honestly went in, expecting to hear a killer indie band. Boy was I surprised. Big Tobacco Company, though stylised as bIg toBacCo CoMpaNY, as opposed to being another of indie’s next big things, are actually an eccentric, movie monster mash-up of a metal band, similar in the vein of System Of A Down. And much like the young rapscallions that System Of A Down once were, tongues seem to not so much be firmly in cheek as boring a hole for freedom, if their social media is anything to go by. Their band logo is a baby rocking heavy duty headphones with a cigar taped to one ear, and the font looks drawn in Paint and coloured with stock textures from Word ’98 for christ sakes. But that’s where the joke begins to end. Amusing as their own antics are, there’s a pack of ferocious wolves that lay beneath the surface, luring you into falling for timidity only to have outstretched hands torn apart in a lust for bloodshed. They can be an unfathomably heavy experience to say the least, occasionally convulsing through their mood swings at times, but all while distancing themselves from the towering landfill of metal and deathcore wannabes. Doom Shroom, a slice taken from their perceived to be forthcoming debut album, demonstrates a little bit of the asylum mentality that their music takes on. Opening with almost nonchalant bass notes, little time is wasted in bursting out with guitars pulverising like stone fists from the gods, relentless drums hounding on your eardrums and vocals that switch from screams that could wither children in an instant, to gruelling, guttural growls you can feel at the pit of your own stomach, to understated clean sections which can only be described as the musical ramblings of a madman, complete with a melody you won’t forget in a hurry. But in a good way, it certainly has a Corey Taylor-kinda vibe to it. The addition of the choir puppeteered by keys halfway and at the end, also adds a nice extra atmospheric dimension instead of announcing a straight-up warpath. Doom Shroom doesn’t quite showcase their entire bag of tricks, but it’s an excellent introduction. The wackiness may not be to everyone’s taste, but there is still a brutal foundation for a formidable, enrapturing and undeniably unique metal force, unlike many before them. And remember kids, always check the label carefully, you never know what you’re getting yourself into.

I’m led to believe that once upon a time there was a six-song EP of theirs floating around, only it’s since disappeared from the internet. So until that time where material is released you should go to their website and listen to the three songs out there, being Doom Shroom, C0mb0 Song and rIpPleS, and else just have a general nose around.

Go give them a big virtual hug:

https://www.facebook.com/bIgtoBacCocoMpaNY?ref=ts&fref=ts

And if you liked the words I wrote, could I request a virtual hug too, be that in the form of a like, follow or blog subscription? At your own discretion of course:

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