Prism Riot "Prism Riot"

Download Prism Riot

Oh wow...I'm lost in a digital jungle full of lurking neon animals and OH SHIT HERE COMES A FUCKING CYBER-WOLF-MONSTER TO RIP MY EARS WIDE OPEN but it's OK...because now I'm floating peacefully in a frosted glass orb through space with my trusty and totally sexy supermodel girlfriend WHEN SUDDENLY A GIANT MUTANT DRAGONFLY APPEARS AND BEGINS TO RAPE MY BRAIN WITH A SWORD COVERED IN POISONOUS SPIDERS...

Perhaps I should explain...Prism Riot is one of the most surprising albums I've heard in a long time. This is one of those rarities that presents the listener with genuine sonic surprises at every turn, and leaves you (at least me) absolutely befuddled as to HOW the hell these two guys managed to produce some of these downright outlandish sounds.

Prism Riot is, from what I gather, a collaborative recording project between Sacramento guitarist/keyboardist/sonic wizard Nick Stanifer (Order of the Golden Mirror) and Michigan drummer/demolitionist Travis Siegfried (Forest Feeling). I'm not sure if these guys have ever played a live show together...and while I would normally argue that they SHOULD, I also have to wonder how the hell they'd pull it off. Honestly, you could take this as a sort of backhanded compliment to the complex sonic structures of these eleven pieces.

When recommending this band to others, allusions to Hella, another well known Sac band, are at times obvious/unavoidable, especially due to Siegfried's hyper-bombastic drumming style. But you know what? I like Siegfried's playing better. In fact, I like Prism Riot's debut a lot more than anything I've heard from previously-mentioned-band.

I know I've avoided talking about any "songs" in particular...but this 28-minute long (short?) LP is best experienced in one sitting. Do yourself a favor and download it. Albums this good aren't often free. -Matt

Listen to "Pirate Utopias"