Drums Of Death - Step Into The Ring EP (Greco-Roman)
UK release date: 22 September 2008
Drums of Death is the Voodoo-faced alter ego of Scottish producer Colin Bailey, and a recent signing to Hot Chip's Greco-Roman label. Like an post-rave Dr. John, Drums of Death has a backstory that involves being cursed by a Haitian witch-doctor, which means he only ever appears in gruesome black and white facepaint. Success must surely be playing havoc with his complection.
Following a storming Black Sabbath bootleg a few months ago, His first EP is a mixed bag. Of the four tracks, the Curses! Run Ur Pockets mix of Breathe is the standout, a glitchy take on 90's piano house that would sits nicely alongside fellow Brits Switch and Herve.
Elsewhere, there's definite minus points for his dodgy booty-bass rapping on Cursed By Magic, which contains the overly earnest line "This is our punk rock, not some kind of trend" which eerily sounds like something Jez from Peep Show would have cobbled together. The meandering Midnight Stalker sounds like a distant cousin of Wiley's Wearing My Rolex, but never really takes off despite a slew of breakdowns and rising synths.
While Drums of Death is a fun and ferocious presence on stage, the Step In The Ring EP is sadly a little too featherweight to be a contender.
