Exclusive Premiere: El Drugstore’s Post-EOTW Madness

Back in September, we exhaled loudly at the fact that a pair of line-up changes didn’t slow down MetalSucks faves East Of The Wall. Nah, they fared just fine on Redaction Artifacts, their first since the departure of bassist Brett Bamberger (for Revocation) and guitarist Kevin Conway. And now that relief turns to elation because Conway’s El Drugstore is set to unveil an awesome debut album, Plague Ship. With EOTW drummer Seth Rheam, Conway pumps sideways instru-metal that’s confrontational like Don Caballero and forceful like Mastodon — and sometimes deft like Mahavishnu Orchestra and gritty like Botch. In places Plague Ship soundtracks a cyclone carnival ride, all dizzying tempos and blurring sights, and follows riders as they disembark to stagger down the midway, dodge fest-goers and barfpiles, then come to a stop facedown behind the toilets. It’s wild! Check out our exclusive track premiere, “The Natives Are Getting Useless,” which mimics the stream-of-consciousness sketch show weirdness of Mr. Show: one punchline acts as set up for the next and riffs aren’t exhausted so much as rent in half and stomped on. Vaya con drogas.

El Drugstore’s Plague Ship is out December 31 via Nefarious Industries.