Mancruel
Slap-a-Ham (original)/Deep Six (reissue)
Man is the Bastard was more than just a power violence pioneer. The band played intricate, unconventional hardcore with the ham-fisted flair of a caveman-savant. In the years since Man is the Bastard disbanded, a mystique has grown around the band. They are considered to be these ignorant savages who miraculously cranked out some world-class rock music. I don’t buy into this No-Cal idiot-savant myth. I mean, Mancruel is as ignorant as can be, but they wrote a song and Ulrich Meinhoff, you know? This record is too well-crafted to be an accident. Check out Eric Wood’s bass playing. He’s got licks that would make Les Claypool blush. Is Man is the Bastard filled with geniuses? Probably. This band is so brutal that they’re credited with coining the phrase “power violence.”
Man is the Bastard didn’t have a typical rock band line-up. Instead of the usual drum-bass-guitar-vocal setup, it was similar to Cop Shoot Cop, with two basses, drums and power electronics (aka keyboards and such used correctly). While Cop Shoot Cop had an arty, NYC air about them, Man is the Bastard rewrote the book of brutal hardcore. Their songwriting style, as well as their instruments, was not used in a gimmicky way. This was the only way for them to achieve the sound they wanted. We are all better off for it.
Man is the Bastard – Mancruel
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