#deathfunk

I was expecting a lengthy and winding journey down the rabbit hole when I agreed to write for Dominion Of New England, and I’m sure the future holds that for me. However, I got stuck on one of the first bands I ‘discovered’ in the quest to dig up talent from New England and beyond. lespecial, ( @lespecialmusic on Tumblr) knocked my socks off right out of the gate when I opened their latest album “Omnisquid” on SoundCloud. What I had guessed to be an ordinary but talented jam band turned out to be so much more than that, with a ton of otherwordly and groovy sounds coming from this power trio. Self described as “death funk” and “heavy future groove” with elements in their tunes including long vamps with driving bass and drums that evoke a likeness to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and “Animals” albums; songs with the bass up front with guitar holding down a skein of a melody alongside carnival barker vocals ala #Primus; heavy tribal grooves reminiscent of Tool’s “Undertow”; slamming, punctuated riffs that call Rage Against The Machine to mind; and vibed out guitar showcase sections that sound at home on a Steve Vai or Joe Satriani album. Top that with Electronica/EDM samples, hiphop elements and tasteful use of guitar effects and you have lespecial’s “Omnisquid”  Despite the comparisons I just made, and many I missed, they sound as fresh as can be in a world of formulaic music. And hey, they can pull off full sets of Primus covers as well, which is a strong qualifier for this listener already. Very Highly Recommended Entertainment!!! -Zach, @granitestateunderground