Not only are Philly hardcore vets Flag of Democracy (aka F.O.D.) still going strong after 40 years, bassist/vocalist Dave Rochon is now also busy with a new band, HELLCO. Dave’s joined by Mikey Brush and Josh Carlson of Rest Etiquette, and their self-titled debut LP comes out this Friday (6/9) via SRA Records (pre-order).
“What we’re trying to do with this band is get real heavily into the riffs and grooves,” Dave tells us. “I’ve been used to playing just very fast and powerful stuff forever, so what happens when you let the notes ring out a bit longer or get into this funky side no one knew about? We’re trying to make every song different too-there’s just so much we want to do.”
“The lyrics are pretty wise-ass because we don’t want to bum people out, but they all stem from a sick society. The world has become vile in ways we never would have imagined, so much manipulation of people and normalizing bizarre, horrible behavior. But it all comes down to profit margins and marketing what’s acceptable. That’s why we’re HELLCO!”
Mikey adds, “Since Dave already had a number of songs written when we started the band, I tried to explore my different musical obsessions (hardcore, post punk, 70s prog, etc) while also making sure they fit within the framework of what Dave started. My lyrics often start with a turn of phrase or an image and I use that as a way in to explore different points of view, both those which deal with my own experiences or that I’ve observed in people I’ve met.”
That should all give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from this LP. There’s definitely a good dose of the fast, snotty ’80s hardcore scene that F.O.D. came from, but there’s also plenty of slower, weirder stuff, and like Dave said, there’s no way to judge the album from just one song. The LP officially drops tomorrow, but a full stream premieres right here. Listen below.