Deathpile – G.R. (LP)

We didn’t know this when putting together Mark Goodall’s Gathering of the Tribe, but are pleased to report that Deathpile’s G.R.—also covered in Jennifer Wallis’ book Fight Your Own War—is now available on vinyl. Limited to 500 copies, it can now be found on Discogs, here. (Also available streaming on Bandcamp, here.)

Excerpt from Gathering of the Tribes: ‘Deathpile, G.R.,’ written by Jennifer Wallis:

… There is romance in hostility. “It’s comparable to why people create and watch horror movies,” says [Deathpile frontman Jonathan] Canady. “I remember the first time I listened to Slayer’s Reign in Blood album … I found it literally frightening. I wanted the audience to experience the same thing with Deathpile.” And G.R. is uniquely attractive: the use of [Gary] Ridgway’s own thoughts in Canady’s vocal introduces the genuine voice of ‘evil’ into the proceedings, whilst waves of sound convey periods of calm before the storm (Genesis), seething anger (Addicted) and gloating reflection (Kenworth). For 38 minutes, the listener takes part in a condensed version of Ridgway’s homicidal career, from the thrill of the hunt to his capture. They Were So Close is a startlingly articulate take on Ridgway’s questioning by police: Canady’s voice reverberates and at some points is difficult to decipher, masked by an unrelenting, interrogative drone, but his voice emerges apparently victorious: “They never found her body and they never will.” Details of the crimes are provided in Shrine, focusing on the fake ritual settings Ridgway rigged for the benefit of police. Beginning with a gravelly chant of “Body and blood”, the track has a suitably hypnotic quality; he mocks the police’s failed efforts to capture him, whilst gloating about his inspired placing of “Two fish across her body” to mislead investigators.

Want to know more? Check out Gathering of the Tribe by Mark Goodall and Fight Your Own War, edited by Jennifer Wallis.

Visit Malsonus, the official website of Deathpile/Jonathan Canady, here.