San Antonio, Texas-based post-hardcore trio THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY is pleased to reveal their video for “Charging Bull.” Now playing at No Echo, the track comes off the band’s A Cult That Worships A God Of Death full-length, set for release via Learning Curve Records July 16th.
A Cult That Worships A God Of Death weaves post-hardcore, noise rock, and metal, mixed with a heroic dose of dark post-rock into a distinctly singular sonic tapestry. Boasting eight tracks, the record comes across like a two-headed beast; its first half, a scorching, riff-filled goliath that stomps and chugs with the fury of a cornered bull, while side-B bares the more prone side of the animal, with longer, more intricate, and introverted songwriting that allows its ideas to ruminate and evolve. Recorded during the 2020 lockdown, it’s a record that captures the chaos and tribulations of a year gone bad.
The band tracked everything at guitarist/vocalist James Woodard’s house and collaborated with long-time friend and owner of Ecsttatic Studio Ali Jaafar (Another Heaven) for the mixing and production while mastering was handled by James Plotkin (SunnO))), Thou, Electric Wizard). The result is the heaviest, most focused release THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY has ever released.
Offers Woodard of “Charging Bull,” “This song is about the ennui of someone in their mid-30s stuck in an unfulfilling office gig; the realization that money and happiness are in fact intertwined, and the desperation that people feel making ends meet while their bosses buy second houses. Money is their God, and the “Charging Bull” is their Golden Calf.”
A Cult That Worships A God Of Death will be released on vinyl and digital formats.
Forged in 2006 as an instrumental project, THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY is an iconoclastic post-hardcore outfit that began during Woodard’s college years, where he spent hours in front of a computer obsessively crafting songs on his own. After releasing one demo, he quickly found like-minded musicians in San Antonio making THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY a more collaborative and live affair.
The band quickly began releasing EPs and splits, most notably the Gun EP, followed by splits with San Antonio’s Sohns and Atlanta’s Hawks. This era also saw the release of Soft Noise, the first of several ambient EPs by Woodard under the THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY moniker.
Initially released in 2010, the Every Man For Himself And God Against All EP was the first release to earn THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY a wider audience, reaping praise from the likes of CVLT Nation and The A.V. Club. A sweeping, five-part, album-long song that takes its listeners on a visceral, pummeling journey, the EP was later remastered by James Plotkin and re-released on limited vinyl through Crowquill Records.
2014 saw the release of All Sadness, Grinning Into Flow, the band’s most audacious release yet, as well as their debut on new label home, Learning Curve Records. Inspired by Popol Vuh and Tangerine Dream, All Sadness… saw the band varying hard into a more introspective, Kraut-inspired take, while keeping the primitive heaviness of the band intact.
By 2017, THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY had the opportunity to really flex their creative muscle in a new way. Recalls Woodward, “I was approached by a local filmmaker, Dave Sims, about scoring his short film. He told me that it leaned on horror heavily but was ultimately a survival film. Creating a film score had been a lifelong dream of mine…” Woodard holed up with long-term recording engineer collaborator, producer, and Pigface alumnus Bob Catlin for several weekends and created the soundtrack to Cavern. The music also received a vinyl LP release on Woodard’s own Canon Imprint microlabel.
That same year, the band released their split with Minneapolis’ legendary Gay Witch Abortion (Amphetamine Reptile Records) which marked the first time Woodard started utilizing vocals heavily in his songwriting process. “We were an instrumental band for a really long time, and in some ways [being instrumental is] really liberating. But the songs and riffs I was writing just felt like they needed vocals. I had to get over some of my own personal insecurities, but I think the songs really benefit.” The lyrical content of the music varies from the ennui-tinged lamentations of a thirty-something office worker to scathing critiques of government, classicism, and American Christianity.
