Head of Jeddore – How to Slaughter a Lamb

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Based out of the greater Toronto area HEAD OF JEDDORE is a freshly new metal super group from a trio of like minds which dropped their debut full-length album “How To Slaughter a Lamb” just this past week on May 28. Billy Curtiss is the first guitar player who is known for his work with THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB, COLUMN OF HEAVEN and CUNTER. He is known as a master of “single note heaviness” who is also proficient in banjo, mandolin and “culinary savagery”. Also, adding guitars as well as handling producing and engineering duties is the owner of BWC STUDIOS, Greg Dawson. Known for bringing heavy riffs and crushing productions, he plays for both OLDE and GRALE but has also worked his production magic for bands such as PANZERFAUST, GARGOYL, BLACK MASTIFF, SONGS OF OTIS, THANTIFAXATH, SIX OF SWORDS, CROSS DOG, and others. FRIENDLY RICH MARSELLA - oddball composer and performer for “The Tom Green Show” – has a PhD in Music Education and has toured both Europe and Canada with his bizarre ensemble, “The Lollipop People”. Marsella wrote all lyrics and acts as the band’s eccentric singer.

The band’s debut is quite an eclectic metal mix. It features several guests including Damian Abraham of FUCKED UP, and Kenny Bridges of MONEEN. HEAD OF JEDDORE offers listeners a carefully maintained lump of chaos similar in style to that of MR BUNGLE, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, and MELVINS. The one word that could be used to describe all of those bands would be “eclectic”, absorbing disparate genres outside the scope of metal providing a unique sound that helps them stand out. There is certainly a higher level to the pedigree of the talent featured in HEAD OF JEDDORE. Their debut is an adventure take on metal, with an excitement exuding from every note that shows the deep love and appreciation of exploration between a genuinely odd collection of musicians.

HEAD OF JEDDORE presents a sound that is both familiar and classic – in such bands as SYSTEM OF A DOWN – and new at the same time, adding in metalcore and even touches of deathcore. They’ve laid this all on a foundation of down-tuned, thrashy, almost groove metal guitar tone that some listeners may initially think they’ve heard before, but trust me, you ain’t heard nothing like HEAD OF JEDDORE. Opening strong with the title track, the vocals jump back and forth from a Serj Tankien-like stream-of-consciousness, to Til Lindeman dry, stoic creeping voice, but pushes through a good majority of the song in a strong metalcore scream/growl. Marsella is quite the chameleon with his voice, going heavy into death metal as the punishing, crushing guitars continue with “Into the Well” and “The Age of Entitlement”. The dissonant guitar tone with the rhythmically off-putting shifts put you in such a state by the end, your brain feels scrambled yet yearns for more. “The Tragedy Network” is almost straight-ahead metalcore but you’ll rarely hear a wah-filled guitar solo as excellently executed by Kirk Hammet or any of the up-and-coming metalcore upstarts these days. Later on, you’ll hear progressive touches in the orchestrations of “Peepholes and Moles”, some hardcore tendencies in “Blood Waltz” and “The Old Man and the Sea”, and if your brain hasn’t melted yet, Marsella spits out grindcore style frog-sounding vocals for a truly jaw-dropping, destructive finale in “The Bake Sale”. If you were a big fan of that early 2000s weirdness of bands like SYSTEM OF DOWN or any Mike Patton’s projects, what you’ll find hear is an extension and evolution of the masterpieces they created back then.

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 8
Production: 9