It seems like the Southeast is slowly becoming one of the best breeding grounds for grindcore and death metal in the extreme music world as some of the filthiest and most evil-sounding music emerges from the swamps of the Bible Belt. It’s fitting that a place which is synonymous with American conservatism and, for lack of a better word, ignorance, is birthing such music because no matter what dogmas you try to force on people there will always be those rebelling against it.
Clot from Georgia is one of those defiant forces, making the kind of music that scares the shit out of Christian fundamentalists in their area but validates their experiences and mindset.
Forming during the pandemic, Clot was birthed after guitarist Yasin and vocalist Christian wanted to take their aggression out via a new musical project. The musicians sought to play with the intense speed of a grindcore band, but they also wanted to expand upon that sound and experiment with it, much like their main influence have always done, Maryland titans Full of Hell.
As brutal as Full of Hell plays they’re always expanding the worlds their sound can travel to and CLOT followed in those footsteps, creating a varied and engaging take on the hallmark grindcore sound.
Clot introduced themselves with their first two singles in 2022, “Cerebral Calamity” and “Casual Masochist,” and quickly began playing shows. Both Christian and Yasin handle songwriting and lyrical duties respectively, both having played in previous projects which differentiate from the grindcore realm.
“We started out because Yasin said his other project, this math rock band Things Amazing, was hitting a wall creatively," Christian tells me. "I was working on my solo stuff which is like this lo-fi indie rock project I do. I’m currently sitting on a full-length album mixed by Travis Harrison who does Guided By Voices’ albums.”
Picking up bassist Steven from Gutcheck, guitarist Daniel from Holy Wound and Mannequin Grove, and drummer Cameron from Apostle, Clot played their first shows in April of last year and have steadily kept the dates coming.
When I ask him about some of the most memorable shows Clot have played so far, Christian states: “The one we’re still in awe of was the time we got to open for Thou. Not only were they the nicest guys to us but they’ve also been a huge influence on forming this band's sound. So that was absolutely huge for us.”
Clot is currently gearing up for the July release of their debut full-length record, Grief Tethers, in July. The album showcases their adherence to keeping their songwriting and playing style vicious but also throwing in some outside sonic flavors to keep it engaging. One of the more slower, groove-laden tracks, “A Repetitive Path of Dissonance,” is a sludgy, black metal-influenced track which highlights Christian's nasty vocalwork and Yasin and Daniel's thick guitar riffs.
“Primitive Man was another big influence on us and that’s where the sludgier sounds come from," says Christian. "We are bringing in that monstrous pace on the album but we do wanna stick to being a grind band."
Commenting on the lyrical subject matter of the track, Christian reveals: “In an abstract way, it deals with the development of the cop city outside of Atlanta. We’re very against what’s going on with that and that song was influenced by the massive protests against this development and the complete lack of care the city has for what the people actually want.
The title itself represents how cyclical this process is going to be until there is some kind of real change which is why there’s the line ‘Slaughter your oppressor, don’t forget their flock. Bury them in garbage, burn the church inside your heart.’”
Clot have given us the opportunity to premiere the music video for “A Repetitive Path of Dissonance," which follows the clips they've also dropped for the previous two singles from Grief Tethers. Edited by the band's drummer Cameron, the video links with the lyrics at moments by displaying heavily distorted footage of cadavers, woodland areas, and the burning churches mentioned before:
The delivery of Christian’s last line, “Burn the church inside your heart,” coupled with his black metal-esque vocal delivery reminds one of the infamous church burnings during the height of the Norwegian black metal scene. “A Repetitive Path of Dissonance" even includes a clip from the news coverage of the burnings when the line is uttered, driving the meaning even deeper into the viewer's memory.
Clot will be releasing Grief Tethers next month through Terminus Hate City. Christian says that there will be vinyl pre-orders through their Bandcamp coming soon. In the meantime, they are slated to play Slower & Harder Fest at Atlanta Utility Works in September alongside Weedeater, Bongzilla, Portrayal of Guilt, and many other bands.
They are also planning on announcing a record release show that will take place in August before they go out on a brief tour at the end of that month.
Clot would like to shout out: Slugcrust, Knoll, Pope Eyes, @gabeaux on Instagram for doing their vinyl, CD, and tape layouts, and Clavus from Athens.
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