sink your teeth into Resistor’s latest album “bite This!”
BAND PHOTO CREDIT: Sean Raynor (@internal.vision)
The knuckle-dragging wika wika core album we have all been waiting for has arrived. New York icons Resistor have finally dropped their first full length album "BITE THIS!" through Paid Vacation. The Long Island quintet blends nu-metal, hardcore, and some good old fashioned NY swag into 29 minutes of hard hitting magic.
Listen to the full album "BITE THIS!” here
The album intro "BORN 2 BREAK" plugs you into the Resistor experience. The track questions the point of it all between turntable scratches and intense screeching riffs. It has an entertaining call and response with "Born To" "Break!" that will be plenty of fun live.
The best track for cutting off someone who only hits you up when they want something. "L33CH" combines ripping guitar with a constant onslaught of kick ass drums. It's a middle finger to the users and abusers that come out of the woodwork when you're coming up.
"DEAD SOUL" was the initial single release for the album. Showcasing Resistor in their purest form. The perfect combination of their bone deep basslines, rap influenced turntable scratching, chaotic guitar, and unapologetic lyrics.
"BITE THIS" is a hilarious display of what Resistor does right. It has funny sound bites, the turntable goes crazy, the vocals scream in your face, you absolutely need to shake something to it. It's a challenge to anyone who wants to try to do what they do. You can't bite their style even if they gave you lessons and a map. The breakdown hits like a train. You're absolutely not ready for the energy they bring to this track.
"PETTY FUCK" was my predicted favorite. The blast beat intro makes me wish people were still into circle pits. Instrumentally it really is a highlight of Peter Smith's mastery over the drum kit. The lyrics are both self-loathing and self-destructive. Then to end on this softer nostalgic kind of note spins the entire track on its head. Then right before the finale it's possibly the most soothing breakdown I've been hit with.
"LOVE SONG (BULLSHIT)" is that anti-love track. For anyone who gets green in the gills about Valentine's Day. It's realizing that the “love” you had was something deeply toxic. I like that it forces you to challenge the relationships you suffer through and pushes for something better.
“LEARNING TOOLS” sounds like a song I'd find in a Shadow the Hedgehog track. It's a brutal reality check of traumas and suffering that can make a person who they are. The guitar takes you on this winding and exciting ride. Paired with the heavy lows in the bassline that doesn’t let up. This track gives the dark honesty that attracts people because it's unfortunately relatable, but songs like this let you know you're not alone.
I think "FROZEN AT 29" hits like such a shock because of how much raw hurt and loss is involved in the lyrics. Turning from that aggressive challenging energy to a track that's a hymn for the dead puts Resistor under a new light. They don't change their sound, because that's them, but they show just how open they are in their music. You can feel the loss in their screams. No matter what you believe you have the feeling that this final goodbye is heard.
The album release was combined with a music video for "XXXL" shot by New York's own Daniel A. Diaz (@danielzvisual) and serves as the new "big boy anthem". It's comedic nod to the film Mean Girls makes it absolutely iconic. The instrumentals stomp on the track. A fantastic heavy breakdown blending into a terrifying growl. The beatbox section at the end is a great homage to og hip hop. If this declaration of self acceptance leads to an XXXL crop top summer I am more than for it.
Watch the music video for “XXXL” below;
The final track on the album “FEEL LIKE SHIT” tackles dual vocals in a full expulsion of self-loathing. While a vast majority of the album deals in reconciling with the past, this track focuses on dealing with the day to day struggle against one’s own mind. The low days that threaten to drag you under as you face them alone. At the end of the day, the battle with mental health is internal and eats you from the inside. Instrumentally the track is harsh, and takes no prisoners. It has a rumbling and frenzied energy that continues until Anthony Grambo’s final breath.
“I want everybody who listens to it to have a stank face for as close to 29 minutes as possible,” Ian Schneider remarks
"BITE THIS!" is the stank face album. Even its "love song" comes with a breakdown. Their constant energy is infectious giving you a near half hour of mosh pit worthy songs. It's them at their most well polished so far. You can tell Resistor put time and their hearts into this album. What comes next can only get better.