http://www.chartattack.com/news/77303/bastard-child-death-cult-try-not-to-sound-like-100-different-things
By: Keith Carman
"I have a serious problem," admits Bastard Child Death Cult (BCxDC) vocalist Adam "Doom" Sewell.
No, it's not some The Dirt-esque revelation about shoving toxic substances into his orifices — or those of others. It's more a realization that after years of fronting incredibly diverse acts (Monster Voodoo Machine, Damn 13, Automatic Dub Riot), it's time for him to pare things back.
"At any given moment, I have ideas for two or three different bands in my head, and it's been really difficult learning to keep all of these ideas separate from each other," he says.
"I've had to learn some hard lessons over the years that audiences and listeners don't want songs from me that have everything and the kitchen sink in them. No one needs a reggae/techno/punk/southern rock/Sabbath-influenced, low-fi garage rock, trip-hop, rockabilly song. Trust me, I've tried."
Thankfully, though, Sewell has refined his attack, assisted by the abilities of guitarists Adam Arsenault and Darren Quinn, bassist Dave Smedley and drummer Joel Bath.
Bastard Child Death Cult's Year Zero debut full-length is a deadly blast of rudimentary, ball-quaking metal pummelled into shape by the obliterating, no-frills hardcore of originals such as Black Flag and Discharge. Now imagine all of that being sodomized by death punkers Turbonegro back when they were actually dangerous. In essence, Year Zero is the kind of shit that makes biker gangs nervous.
And how exactly does one go from the wonky purple haze of reggae-punk to flat-out menace? Sewell calls it the "two-minute rule," noting while the band are still intent on crafting quality tunes, BCxDC are about embracing expedient and getting it done before it gets mired in over-thinking.
"[We] pick up the guitar and if the song doesn't come together in two minutes, scrap it and move on to something else," he says with resolve. "I also keep in mind that we're playing heavy, aggressive punk rock, so I purposely leave out ideas that don't work within those parameters."
It works. Year Zero is easily on the same playing field as Southern gurus Arson Anthem, west coast speed freaks Zeke and the Voivod of yesteryear when they were basically hammering out Motorhead riffs at supersonic speed. Sewell is quick to dispel the hyperbole about their sound and style, though.
"All that I can tell you right now is that we simply do what we do. We plug in, play and hope that it's not all too self-indulgent. Ultimately though, it's just me and my inner 15 year old screaming at each other."
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